The 10 best-rated, ranked from published Care Quality Commission data, not opinion or advertising. 98 of the 103 residential care home in County Durham currently hold a Good or Outstanding rating.
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Spennymoor, DL16
Operated by Resolve (Care Northern) Limited
Registered to support younger adults, learning disability and autism. 8 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 9/26/23.
Low Road, Kirk Merrington, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 7JT
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Darlington, DL1
Operated by Voyage 1 Limited
Registered to support younger adults, learning disability and autism. 6 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 5/6/20.
86 Whinfield Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 3HW
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Durham, DH1
Operated by Durham County Council
Registered to support learning disability and autism. 10 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 4/3/20.
St Godrics Close, Durham, County Durham, DH1 5PJ
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Bishop Auckland, DL14
Operated by Resolve (Care Northern) Limited
Registered to support learning disability and autism. 7 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 4/1/20.
Low House, Binchester Lane Ends, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 8AW
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Darlington, DL3
Operated by John Michael Leitch and Miss Sharon Elizabeth Keelan
Registered to support older people, learning disability and autism. 3 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 2/25/20.
72 Bates Avenue, Cockerton, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 0TU
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Consett, DH8
Operated by Interact Care Limited
Registered to support younger adults, learning disability and autism, children and young people. 3 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 2/18/20.
5 Shotley Grove Road, Shotley Bridge, Consett, County Durham, DH8 8SF
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Spennymoor, DL16
Operated by WT HI OpCo 1 Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. 48 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 2/15/19.
Clyde Terrace, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 7SG
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Bishop Auckland, DL14
Operated by HC-One No.2 Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. 53 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 12/15/23.
Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 6EN
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Ferryhill, DL17
Operated by Strong Life Care (Tenlands) Limited
Registered to support older people, younger adults, dementia care. 40 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 10/20/18.
Wood Lane, Ferryhill, County Durham, DL17 8JD
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Consett, DH8
Operated by Newlife Care Services Limited
Registered to support learning disability and autism. 7 beds. Rated Outstanding by CQC, published 1/6/23.
Pont Head Road, Leadgate, Consett, County Durham, DH8 6EL
5 of 5 CQC domains rated Good or Outstanding
Showing 10 of 98 residential care home in County Durham that currently hold a published Good or Outstanding rating, out of 103 registered in total. Services with no published rating are excluded: newly registered services often have none, and no rating is not a poor rating.
Based on Care Quality Commission data published 01 July 2026, used under the Open Government Licence. No provider has paid for a position on this page, and none can.
A residential care home provides somewhere to live, meals, and help with personal care. It does not have nurses on site, which is the line between it and a nursing home.
People who can no longer manage safely at home even with visiting care, but whose needs are personal care rather than medical. Common reasons are advancing frailty, dementia where supervision is needed, repeated falls, or isolation.
Usually charged separately: hairdressing, chiropody, newspapers, some outings, and personal toiletries.
Fees are means tested through the council, with the £23,250 upper capital limit and the property rules above.
If your needs are primarily health needs, check NHS Continuing Healthcare, which is not means tested and pays for everything.
Use our means test calculator to estimate your contribution.
Visit more than once, and at least once unannounced around a mealtime. Look at:
Ask what proportion of residents are council funded. A very high self-funder rate usually means higher prices.
103 CQC-registered residential care home have a registered office in County Durham, North East. Of those, 98 currently hold a published Good or Outstanding rating, which is the pool this ranking is drawn from.
That depends on your finances, not your postcode. Above £23,250 in capital you normally pay the full cost. Below £14,250 your capital is ignored. Your council carries out the financial assessment, and NHS Continuing Healthcare pays in full where needs are primarily health needs. 2026/27 thresholds for England.
It means it was rated Good at the last inspection, and the gap between inspections can run to years. Use the rating as a starting point, read the full report, and visit in person before deciding.
A residential home provides accommodation and personal care: help with washing, dressing, medication and meals. A nursing home also has registered nurses on site for people with medical needs such as complex wounds, PEG feeding or unstable conditions. CQC registers them as care homes with and without nursing.
Your property is normally counted for a permanent care home place, but it is disregarded if your partner, a relative aged 60 or over, a disabled relative or a child under 16 still lives there. There is also a 12 week disregard at the start, and a deferred payment agreement can let the council recover fees from your estate later instead.
Carevo does not inspect or endorse services. CQC ratings change between inspections. Check the current rating on the CQC website and read the full report before deciding.