(Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
Residents at a Darlington care home were struck down with diarrhoea after eating dishes which inspectors found was likely responsible for an outbreak of food poisoning.
Gardens Care Home, on Pondfield Close near Coniscliffe Road, was given a one-star hygiene rating following a Food Standards Agency inspection in July, which uncovered a series of concerns over food storage, temperature controls and cleanliness.
Preliminary tests carried out after residents suffered gastrointestinal illness found bacteria, with further laboratory analysis providing what inspectors described as “strong evidence” that was what caused the illness.
Gardens Care Home, on Pondfield Close near Coniscliffe Road (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
In the one-star report, inspectors said: "Preliminary testing from the recent outbreak where residents had diarrhoea reported one sample was tested and identified Clostridium perfringens.
"This sample was further tested at a national reference laboratory and has detected Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin.
£This finding provides strong evidence that Clostridium perfringens was the cause of the gastrointestinal illness experienced by residents during the outbreak."
Inspectors said the bacteria is linked to cooked food, particularly meat dishes and gravies that have been cooled, stored or reheated improperly.
Gardens Care Home was given a one star hygiene rating (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
The report told the care home it must “review your food safety management procedures, including cooking, cooling, hot holding, reheating and temperature-monitoring practices”.
Inspectors also found out-of-date coleslaw, milk stored at room temperature and a milk delivery left on the floor throughout the July inspection.
In the report, inspectors said: "You must ensure that date checks are frequently carried out to ensure effective stock control procedures are in place, and no foods are used beyond their use-by dates.
"Food had been delivered before the food hygiene inspection, as discussed; this delivery was still on the floor throughout the inspection. Staff were available but had not placed the food away in the fridge."
Inspectors also found no hygienic hand-drying facilities or hot water at the kitchen washbasin, while a damaged wall in the fridge-freezer store could not be cleaned properly.
Elsewhere, several environmental samples produced “unsatisfactory results”.
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Inspectors said that "the intestinal tract of animals and humans" was found on a microwave door handle.
Gardens Care Home has since improved its hygiene rating to four stars.
The home was rated "Requires improvement" overall by the Care Quality Commission in February 2025, under a separate system from the food hygiene inspection.
The home, operated by Ascot Care, has 56 single en-suite bedrooms across two units and provides residential care alongside specialist nurse-led care for people with more complex needs.
The Northern Echo has approached Ascot Care for a comment, but they did not respond.