A CARE home providing “hotel quality standards” for its residents has been named among England’s best-performing residential homes as part of a campaign to give the elderly dignity.

Middleton Hall Retirement Village, in Middleton St George, near Darlington, was given an Outstanding rating in all areas by Care and Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors last year.

Only six residential facilities for the elderly inspected since January 2017 have been rated Outstanding in all five areas of review under the CQC’s scoring system.

Middleton Hall Retirement Village has now been included in a shortlist of the country's top ten facilities for their “five-star performances” in safety and effectiveness, care, responsiveness and management.

The shortlist has been compiled by London-based Hudgell Solicitors in their Give Me Dignity campaign to highlight homes providing exceptional support.

Particular praise was given to Middleton Hall’s GPS technology systems used to help residents explore the extensive grounds in a safe way, as well as staff personally assisting occupants to enjoy activities like bird watching and exercise.

Solicitor Sarah Scully said: “The people in the facility are loved, protected, respected and cared for with dignity, and that's exactly what we're calling for. It's not asking much.”

More than 11,470 homes are rated as Good overall, something Mrs Scully says gives relatives confidence in finding a site giving quality care.

She said: “We're campaigning for better standards of care at homes which are underperforming and consistently letting people down, but a key part of what we're trying to achieve is to educate families making decisions for loved ones with regards to choosing a home, or assessing the care they currently receive.”