A 69-year-old Stevenage woman, who was the director of care at a Cambridgeshire care home, has been disqualified after her business breached health and safety regulations, putting residents at risk.

Anita Ram has been banned from being involved - directly or indirectly - in the promotion, formation or management of a company without permission of the court, after a number of issues were raised by the Care Quality Commission in 2017 and an investigation into her conduct was launched.

Ram started running Millfield Lodge Care Home in Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire, as a sole trader business in the early 1990s. It was incorporated in 2004, but only began formally trading in July 2014.

In April 2017, the home was inspected by the CQC and rated 'requires improvement' after breaches of regulations relating to the safeguarding of people, their care records, and reporting of incidents to the CQC were discovered.

In July and August of the same year, further unannounced inspections were carried out. Inspectors found that the care home was in breach of six regulations under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. At the August inspection the service was rated as inadequate.

They resolved that Anita Ram as director was not a fit and proper person to carry on the service, as she had failed to co-operate with the nursing agency that ran the service in the home, removed records and equipment, and prevented access to people's finances, among other concerns.

Inspectors also uncovered that not all residents in the home were being safely administered their medication, with discrepancies between the amount of medication in stock and the amounts recorded as having been administered. Ram had also failed to ensure the building met required fire safety standards, meaning residents were at risk.

As a result of these concerns, the CQC applied to the courts to cancel Ram's registration as a care home provider and close the home. Residents were safely moved from the home in August 2017, and the company ceased trading.

Millfield Lodge Care Home Limited entered Creditors Voluntary Liquidation and liquidators were appointed in September 2017, before it was formally wound up in October.