A CARE home with 11 nursing and residential properties in Dorset has been rated as one of the UK's top providers.

Colten Care, which is based in the south, was picked as Britain's best operator with more than three homes.

Carehome.co.uk calculates scores for care homes from both the number of reviews they receive and an average of the quality assessments given ranging from ‘excellent’ to ‘very poor’.

Customers may be residents, relatives, friends or other home visitors.

Colten Care has achieved its top ranking based on 413 reviews.

It is among nine groups nationally currently scoring 9.7 out of ten.

However, the other eight have just three or fewer homes.

Colten Care chief executive Mark Aitchison said: “We’re naturally delighted that people are clearly happy with the services we are providing and saying so online.

“Their feedback reflects the face-to-face comments we receive from residents and families every day at our homes.”

Altogether, Colten Care owns and runs 20 homes in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex.