CARE homes in Middlesbrough are to get locally-devised star ratings as part of plans to boost quality and choice.

Residents at the homes will be asked about the quality of meals, cleanliness, social facilities and healthcare in the assessments, drawn up by Middlesbrough Council.

Their families will get similar questionnaires, asking how welcoming the home is, its respect for privacy and how good staff are at keeping them informed.

In addition, the ratings will look at the quality of staff and accommodation.

The council funds about 600 places in care homes, run by independent providers in the borough, at a cost of about £10m a year.

The ratings system will be used by the council to determine the price it pays for care to independent providers and also to help people moving into residential care make an informed choice about where to go.

Councillor Brenda Thompson, executive member for social care and health, said: "We have devised this system in partnership with care providers and trialled it successfully in six homes. We think that it will benefit everyone.

"People going into residential care and their families will be able to see what current residents think about the home, and get a full breakdown of the facilities that they offer and the quality of care.

"The organisations running the home will get structured and accurate feedback from their residents, which they will be able to use to inform their quality improvement plans."

The new system will be introduced in the New Year.