Southway Care Home food hygiene rating
Caring Premises · Bedford
Southway Care Home holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the care premises are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 15 January 2026, 5 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.
Address: Southway Residential Home 290 London Road, Bedford, MK42 0PX
How it compares in Bedford
In Bedford, 83% of rated places manage a 5, so Southway Care Home sits behind roughly 1,208 nearby businesses. 11% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,208 | 83% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 164 | 11% | ← Southway Care Home | |
| 3 out of 5 | 72 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 12 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 4 | <1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 190 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Good
An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Southway Care Home none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Southway Care Home, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avidlite Retailers - other | 184 yards away | 5 - Very good | 9 February 2016 |
| Bedford Academy School/college/university | 334 yards away | 5 - Very good | 11 June 2026 |
| Buttercup Cakes by Jo Other catering premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 26 July 2016 |
| Brackley Local Store Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 28 February 2026 |
| Asda Express PFS Southgate Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 September 2025 |
| BPHA Caring Premises | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 24 June 2025 |
| Best Stop Convenience Store Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 27 September 2024 |
| Bedford Food And Wine Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 7 January 2025 |
Questions about Southway Care Home
What is Southway Care Home's food hygiene rating?
Southway Care Home has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Bedford Council on 15 January 2026.
Is Southway Care Home safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this care premises to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was Southway Care Home last inspected?
Southway Care Home was last inspected on 15 January 2026, 5 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Bedford Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Southway Care Home?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Southway Care Home compare to other places in Bedford?
83% of the 1,460 rated food businesses in Bedford hold the top rating of 5, while Southway Care Home holds a 4. 164 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Bedford Council inspects Southway Care Home and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.
Tell me when this changes
The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch Southway Care Home and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Bedford inspects and rates 1,650 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Bedford →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.bedford.gov.uk
Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →