Care home told to improve low food hygiene score

A care home has been told "major improvement" is needed to how it manages food safety following an inspection.

Longlands Care Home in Middlesbrough was handed a food hygiene rating of one out of five, the second lowest score given by the Food Standards Agency.

Issues identified included how food is safely managed and hygienic food handling, while the cleanliness and condition of facilities were deemed to be generally satisfactory.

Management at the Longlands Road care home said they fully acknowledged the rating and this was "not the outcome we expect for our home". A spokesperson said all issues identified had been taken seriously and had now been "fully rectified".

A care home spokesperson said they recognised families would be concerned about the food rating but they had been transparent about the findings and action had been taken.

They said: "We recognise the trust that residents and their families place in us, and we never take that for granted."

The inspection was carried out on 21 September and the care home said they requested another inspection, which is expected to be carried out without notice by 21 December.

The spokesperson said: "When something falls short, we believe the right approach is to acknowledge it, take responsibility and, most importantly, put it right.

"That is exactly what we have sought to do. We are confident in the improvements that have been made and remain fully committed to ensuring that the standards expected of us are consistently maintained."

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