Church Stretton care home told to improve after inadequate rating

An inspector carried out the unannounced inspection to follow up on concerns about Caradoc House

A care come has warned it could be closed after a series of failings were found in an inspection.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Caradoc House in Church Stretton, Shropshire, as inadequate after an inspection in August.

Poor staffing levels were also criticised with living conditions described as "completely unacceptable".

The care home has been placed in in special measures. The BBC has asked the home for a response.

Caradoc House provides care for older people, including those with dementia and 10 people were living there at the time of the unannounced inspection.

The CQC said it was following up on concerns about how the home was being managed.

People were not protected from the risk of abuse and ill treatment, the inspector said as one of their conclusions.

Amanda Lyndon, CQC head of inspection for adult social care, said the service was not well-led and the provider was not giving good direction to staff.

The inspector found medication kept in a carrier bag in a conservatory and a laundry area at the home which Ms Lydon said put people at risk of harm "as they might accidentally or intentionally eat them".

She also highlighted a lack of staff with the right skills and training as only one employee worked at the home during the night and they were not trained to help people take their medicines.

"Completely unacceptable"

"Lessons weren't learnt at Caradoc House when things went wrong," Ms Lydon added.

"It's completely unacceptable for people to be living in these conditions.

"Our priority is for the safety of people using the service, and we have told the provider to make improvements as a matter of urgency.

"We will continue to monitor the service closely and if the required improvements aren't made, we'll consider taking further action which could lead to closure of the service."