The CMA's initial investigation into Welltower's purchase of UK care homes found competition concerns in 30 local areas
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is today proposing to accept remedies offered following its investigation into Welltower's purchase of more than 600 care homes across the UK.
Welltower is a US-based real estate investment trust. In October 2025, Welltower became the owner of 4 portfolios of care home properties previously owned and operated by Barchester Healthcare, HC-One, Aria Care (including Asprey) and Danforth Care. As part of the transaction, new operators (including Care UK and Apex Healthcare Properties via Barchester Healthcare) took over the management of the day-to-day operations of the care homes.
A phase 1 investigation by the CMA found that the deals could give rise to competition concerns in the supply of nursing and/or residential care services for the elderly in a total of 30 local areas across England and Scotland. In those local areas, the CMA found that either Welltower or one of the care home operators would have a significant proportion of the care homes in the area. The CMA was concerned the deals could potentially lead to higher prices or a reduction in service quality for care home residents in these areas.
To resolve the CMA's concerns, Welltower has offered the following in the areas of concern identified by the investigation:
- to sell its ownership of a number of care home properties and
- for certain other care homes, reallocate the operations to a new operator.
Having considered this proposal, the CMA believes it could resolve its competition concerns and will consult on the remedies package and the potential purchaser(s) in due course.
Sorcha O'Carroll, Senior Director of Mergers at the CMA, said:
It's crucial that older people and their families choosing care homes get the best care available at a reasonable price. Effective competition amongst providers can help boost choice, improve quality and keep costs down, all of which are important factors for making sure people are properly looked after.
We had concerns that Welltower's deal to purchase over 600 sites could create competition issues in several local areas across England and Scotland. Having engaged closely with the businesses, we believe Welltower has a solution that could resolve those concerns, allowing us to clear the deal and maintain competition at the same time.
