The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has come up with a new scheme designed to honour homes which provide outstanding care to those who require their services across the UK.

Care home residents using male incontinence products could benefit from the new excellence rating initiative, which will single out those offering a gold standard of care beyond what is required of them.

The regulator, which is in charge of monitoring the UK's thousands of care homes, plans to introduce the new scheme in April 2012, with firms applying for the certification.

Commenting on the proposal, CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower said: "We do firmly believe that care providers should aspire to deliver the best possible outcomes.

"An excellence award can recognise best practice, be a spur to improvement for providers who already meet CQC's essential standards, and can help people who need longer-term care to make choices."

Products such as Tena incontinence pads are regularly used in care homes where elderly residents suffer from incontinence or related issues.