Care home demand near Bedford
The area within 5 miles of Bedford carries 39.1 care beds per 100 residents aged 85+, against a national average of 32.5 - oversupplied
Demand & supply in the Bedford catchment
| Residents aged 75+ (within 5 miles) | 13,054 |
| Residents aged 85+ | 4,142 |
| Registered care beds | 1,620 |
| Beds per 100 aged 85+ | 39.1 |
| Beds at the national rate (32.5/100) | 1,346 |
| Surplus vs national rate | 274 beds |
| Beds in homes registered for nursing | 653 |
| Beds in homes registered for dementia | 1,260 |
Quality of the nearby stock
216 beds sit in homes rated Requires improvement or Inadequate, supply that may not endure and therefore latent demand a new scheme can plan around.
Care homes nearest Bedford
| Home | Provider | Beds | Type | CQC | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Lodge MK42 7LR | Care Assist Limited | 3 | Residential | Good | 0.76 |
| Elstow Manor MK42 6FZ | Hamberley Care (Wixams) Limited | 80 | Nursing | Good | 0.84 |
| Bedford House MK42 8HD | Care Assist Limited | 9 | Residential | Good | 0.89 |
| Holly Tree Lodge MK42 8NB | Mentaur Limited | 10 | Residential | Good | 0.99 |
| George Beal House MK42 7HL | Bedford Borough Council | 12 | Residential | Good | 1.08 |
| Fernleigh Court Care and Nursing Home MK42 7FY | Country Court Care Homes 6 Limited | 80 | Nursing | Good | 1.19 |
| Brookside MK42 7BS | Bedford Borough Council | 22 | Residential | Requires improvement | 1.2 |
| Lavanda Villa MK42 8AT | Mentaur Limited | 4 | Residential | Good | 1.22 |
| Rivermead MK42 8AU | Bedford Borough Council | 33 | Residential | Good | 1.23 |
| Danecroft MK45 3HT | St Andrews Care Homes Ltd | 34 | Residential | Outstanding | 1.41 |
| Parkside MK42 8AB | Bedford Borough Council | 31 | Residential | Good | 1.41 |
| Southway MK42 0PX | Bedford Borough Council | 42 | Residential | Requires improvement | 1.59 |
| The Crown MK42 9ET | Alex Davis (Bedford) Ltd | 7 | Residential | Requires improvement | 1.76 |
| 74 Old Ford End MK40 4LY | Voyage 1 Limited | 6 | Residential | Good | 1.94 |
| Mulberry House MK40 4ND | Really Flexible Care Ltd | 5 | Residential | Requires improvement | 1.98 |
Appraising a care site near Bedford?
Threshold Care turns this into a site-level appraisal: drop a pin, set the catchment, and see the over-85 demand, every competing home and its CQC rating, the gap, and the maximum land bid, in under 60 seconds.
Start a free trial →Care near Bedford - questions
- How many care home beds are near Bedford?
- Within 5 miles of Bedford there are 1,620 registered care home beds across 65 CQC-registered homes, of which 653 are in homes registered for nursing care and 1,260 for dementia care.
- Is Bedford short of care home beds?
- The 5-mile catchment around Bedford has 39.1 beds per 100 residents aged 85+, against a national average of 32.5 - oversupplied. That is around 274 beds above the national rate.
- How will care demand near Bedford change by 2043?
- The population aged 85+ in the Bedford catchment is projected to change by +75.0% by 2043 (ONS 2022-based projections). Held at today's beds, that would be 22.3 beds per 100 aged 85+, a shortfall of 736 beds at the national rate.
This catchment sits mainly in Bedford, where you can see the full local-authority picture.
Nearby towns: Shefford · Biggleswade · Sandy · Arlesey · St Neots · Hitchin · Dunstable · Luton
All towns · By local authority
Method: a 5-mile catchment around Bedford. Supply is every CQC-registered care home in reach (beds, nursing and dementia scope, latest rating) from the CQC HSCA Active Locations register; demand is ONS small-area population aged 75+/85+; growth is ONS 2022-based subnational projections for the 85+ band. The national benchmark of 32.5 beds per 100 aged 85+ is computed from the data, not assumed. Estimates for research and site screening, not a commissioned feasibility study. Updated July 2026.