Social Media Power List
Top 20 Small Care Home Groups

LinkedIn and Facebook saw the largest absolute growth since 2018, adding 13.9 and 12.5 million UK users. LinkedIn (34.9M) has now surpassed Instagram (31.2M).

TikTok, launched in the UK in 2017, saw the largest proportional rise, up 246 per cent since 2019 to reach 17.5 million users, growing 32 per cent in 2022 alone.

Facebook leads every age group except 13 to 17 and 25 to 34. Its dominance among over-65s is striking: 5 million users, over four times Instagram's 1.14 million in the same cohort.

LinkedIn skews to 25 to 34-year-olds, reflecting its professional role. TikTok's largest cohort is 13 to 17 (2.5M+), a group whose relevance to care recruitment will grow as it ages.

Across all 87,125 followers (groups and homes combined), LinkedIn takes a surprisingly large 38 per cent, almost level with Facebook at 45 per cent. This is driven almost entirely by Cygnet Health Care, whose 3,516 LinkedIn employee connections skew the total.

Twitter accounts for 14 per cent, largely from Royal Star & Garter's 5,956 followers. No group or home had any TikTok presence.

Cygnet Health Care and Royal Star & Garter together account for over 67 per cent (58,592) of the category total. Their strategies differ sharply.

Cygnet leads on LinkedIn (3,516 employees using it as an internal network) with no Twitter presence; Royal Star & Garter leads on Twitter (5,956) and Facebook (around 9,300), channelling activity through group-level accounts.

Removing Cygnet and Royal Star reveals the true picture for small operators. Facebook accounts for 81 per cent (23,157) of the remaining following, the platform of choice for community engagement and recruitment.

LinkedIn and Instagram take 8 and 7 per cent, Twitter 4 per cent. No remaining group or home had any TikTok followers, a clear first-mover opportunity.

Combining group and home accounts, Adept Care Homes leads with 9,109 followers, over five times third-placed Peverel Court Care (1,656). Forest Care ranks second on 3,484.

Adept's notable LinkedIn following (1,487) sets it apart, while Doveleigh Care leads on Instagram. Facebook dominates across every group.

Of the 54 individual home accounts tracked, Kiwi House Care Home leads with 1,570 followers, 1,492 of them from Facebook alone. Most homes concentrate almost entirely on Facebook, posting resident activities daily.

The lowest-ranked homes (Rowan Lodge, Merryfield House, Hill Brow) have been inactive for over a year, and many homes in the category have no social presence at all.

At group-account level, Forest Care tops the board with 3,332 followers across Facebook (2,800), Instagram and LinkedIn, driven by posting four to five times a day and effective hashtag use.

Adept Care Homes ranks second with LinkedIn (1,487) central to its strategy. Spring View Care and Foxcare have no group Facebook presence; Spring View Care has no social media presence at all.