ADMISSIONS to a care home have been stopped after an inspection by a health watchdog found it to be failing its residents.

Meppershall Care Home in Shefford Road was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which said action was needed in all areas and identified significant concerns with the care and welfare of the 70 residents.

Prior to the unannounced inspection the CQC had received information of concern about the home run by G A Projects Limited.

In its report the CQC said: “We saw examples where people’s dignity was not always maintained: this included soiled clothing or bed linen in view of others and visitors to the home. We also observed staff not always ensuring toilet doors were fully closed when people were assisted to the toilet. In Lavender House, we found that the toilets had not been flushed and that faecal matter was on the floor in one bathroom.”

Other failings included beds left unmade, call bells ignored and staff falsifying information.

One resident said, “I understand staff need to change the bed linen, but when they don’t remake it, it means I can’t have a lie down if I wish to, unless I lie on the plastic mattress.”

A number of people described the food as “disgusting”.

The CQC reported: “At breakfast, we observed one person feeding themselves with porridge. The care staff assisting another person saw they had spilt some of their porridge on their lap and down the side of the chair. We observed the staff member pick the porridge up from the side of the chair with their fingers, scrape it back into the person’s bowl which they continued to eat from, wiping their own fingers on the bowl: the staff member then returned to assist the other person to eat. We were alarmed to see this practice occurring and that staff did not feel this was unacceptable.”

One person told the commission that they attended residents/relatives meetings and had raised issues about the quality of the food and specific needs of their relative but nothing had been addressed.

Another resident living in the unit said, “There’s no compassion here. I’m much worse since I’ve been here as there’s nothing to stimulate my mind. I just wish I could go home.”

Earlier this year the Comet reported on the inquest of resident May Ward who died from injuries received after falling from a hoist at the nursing home in 2010.

Julie Ogley, director of social care, health and housing at Central Bedfordshire Counci, said: “The council has been working closely with the CQC to ensure the wellbeing of residents at the Meppershall Care Home.

“Since the CQC inspection in May the council has been sending in teams of social care professionals on a weekly basis to assist the home in making the progress needed against the improvement plan.

“We understand that the CQC is taking action with regards to this service. In the meantime, we are continuing with our more intense review and scrutiny of the home and are taking the necessary action to ensure it puts residents’ care at the centre of everything it does. We have stopped admissions to the home from July 1 and met with relatives of the residents this week to discuss our concerns and to hear their views on the standards of care within the home.”

In a statement the company said: “Although we feel that an unfair picture has been painted of the home by the recent press, we want to put that behind us, and look forward to a future in which with our new manager, Sue Attley, we provide an excellent standard of care to our elderly and vulnerable residents.”