PRIME Minister Tony Blair has opened a 33-bedroom care home in Sedgefield.

Willowdene, in Lizard Lane, is believed to be the first care home outside the public sector Mr Blair has honoured in this way.

The care home, on the outskirts of the village, is the latest to be opened by Jennifer Houghton, whose company, Executive Care Management, is one of the leading private care home providers in the region.

Mr Blair was given a tour of the premises by Mrs Houghton, operation director Joan Finley and manager Gwynneth Parkin. He also met residents.

Each resident has an en-suite bedroom. The home also has a coffee shop, hairdressing salon, large dining room and communal lounges.

There is also a separate smoking room and each floor has a large foyer. Both floors are accessible to wheelchairs.

The new building adjoins a recently refurbished 12-bedroom unit, built in 1996, which cares for elderly residents with mental health needs.

Executive Care Management owns and operates 15 residential and nursing homes and another four projects are under way.

Mr Blair, who unveiled a plaque and planted a willow tree, described the new home as "a magnificent facility for the elderly people living here."

He said: "You can be very proud of what you have achieved here. This is definitely in the five-star category."

He singled out the staff for particular praise, saying: "You do a fantastic job which is greatly appreciated by the relatives of the residents.

"For elderly patients at this late stage of their life it is most important that the standard of care is of the highest quality and this home has definitely got the very highest standards."

The Prime Minister was presented with a painting of a miner at the coalface by Mary Baines, a Willowdene resident, on behalf of Fishburn Arts Group.