A RESIDENTIAL care home has been voted one of the top 20 in the North East.

Middleton Hall Retirement Village was praised by residents and their families as part of a review guide survey carried out by carehome.co.uk

Amanda Hopkins, reviews manager of the website, said: "It is only the residents and their families and friends who can give a real insight into what a care home is like, which is why we use their reviews to find the best care homes in the UK. Choosing a care home can be a time consuming and exhausting process so we hope our awards help make the search easier.

“Middleton Hall Retirement Village has proved they provide a high standard of care and we would like to congratulate them on being a Top 20 care home in North East England! It is a huge achievement to be recognised for being a top rated care home by the people receiving the care.

“The reviews on carehome.co.uk reveal that many care homes are filled with warmth and laughter, where staff do their utmost to ensure residents continue to live life to the full and are treated with dignity and respect.”

Earlier this month, the retirement village become the first in the UK to be owned by its 190 staff.

The transfer to become an Employee Ownership Trust, and join the likes of John Lewis, follows months of preparation since the move was first announced by the retirement village in September last year in a bid to safeguard its long-term future.

Former owner and managing director Jeremy Walford said that he wanted to maintain the long-term quality of the company after selling it and thought employee ownership was the best way.

Jan Hargrove, marketing co-ordinator at the village said: “I am delighted that Middleton Hall has received this accolade as it reflects genuine feedback from our customers. It validates our approach to providing innovative person centred care and recognises the enormous commitment and effort made by all employees to make Middleton Hall a vibrant, retirement community.

"However, this recognition does not make us complacent or make us sit back on our laurels. Our success is due to our ongoing belief of continuous quality improvement – in fact it only drives us more.”

For further details visit www.middletonhallretirementvillage.co.uk