A CARE home for people with dementia in Blunsdon has been placed in special measures after a damning report.

Inspectors highlighted concerns over mishandling of medicine, poor accident investigation and not enough staff at Abbey House.

The home was rated inadequate for safety and leadership while responsiveness, effectiveness and care required improvement.

In a report for the Care Quality Commission they noted: “Medicines were not managed safely to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed and were kept pain free.

“Systems for monitoring accidents and incidents were not effective. Risks to people were not always identified and where risks were identified there were not always effective plans in place to manage those risks.

“There was not always records of any action taken as result of accidents and incidents nor evidence of investigations being completed.

Inspectors found three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act, an increase from the two found during last year's inspection when the home was judged to require improvement over all.

They found the residents did not alway have the right food for their dietary needs and risks to their health were not effectively managed. Care plans were not always accurate or up to date and didn't have information about changes following visits from health professionals.

“Systems to monitor and improve the service were not effective and the registered manager didn’t have a clear overview of the service and the quality of care being provided,” said the report.

At the time of the inspection, 33 people were being looked after at the care home. There was some praise from the inspectors. “We saw kind and caring interactions. However, people were not always treated with dignity.

“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.”

The care home is operated and owned by the Milestones Trust.

Chief executive Josh Hoskinson, the trust’s CEO, said: “We are deeply saddened and disappointed to have received an inadequate rating for Abbey House.We are sorry to have fallen short of the high standards that our residents and their families should expect of us. As a charitable organisation that prides itself on having over 95 per cent of our services rated as good or outstanding we are determined to turn the situation around at Abbey House as quickly as possible.

“Delivering top quality care is our priority and we have already taken urgent and decisive action to address the issues identified at the time of the inspection in August.

"We will continue to work closely with our staff, residents, families, CQC and commissioners to ensure that we address the issues highlighted in the report both swiftly and efficiently.”