A WIRRAL care home is to close its doors after a damning report from health officials found inconsistency in its quality of care.

Highground Care Home, based on Waterford Road, Oxton, was criticised for failing to always take patients’ needs into account following a recent inspection by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

In a report following the visit, inspectors highlighted repeated concerns.

Following the report’s publication, bosses at Four Seasons – who operate the care home – said senior regional management recognised the concerns raised and was working closely with the local authority to address them.

But the care provider has today announced it intends to cease operating Highground Care Home while the company considers its future.

Staff will now work with Wirral Council to ensure all 19 residents find alternative accommodation with no disruption to their care.

The Globe reported earlier this month how during the inspection, equipment was found to be dirty and medication was not always stored in the correct temperature.

They found that the Oxton nursing home was failing to provide care which was “safe, effective, caring, responsive or well led” and all nine of the national standards reviewed were not being met.

The CQC said it found improvements identified on a previous visit in April had not been sustained and raised a number of concerns, including that “care and treatment was not planned in the best interests of the residents’ health and wellbeing”.

It also found that residents were not protected from the risks of “unsafe care”, with safeguarding policies not being followed or updated accordingly.

Several areas of the home were found to be “dirty and in a poor state of repair” while records showed that the temperature of the medicines room and fridge was not being monitored regularly.

The CQC said that people living at the home told inspectors there was a “lack of staff” and that they often had to wait for care and assistance.

Managing director Pauline Lawrance today said Four Seasons has “reluctantly” taken the decision to close the home for a “combination of reasons”.

She said the recent tendency to provide care in people’s own homes has led to a demand for care home places in the area, adding that Highground has been operating at about half its capacity.

Ms Lawrance added: “We took over the operation of Highground from the former Southern Cross when that company failed. It is a relatively small home in an attractive old building but the interior layout and facilities require very significant investment to bring it up to our specifications for a modern care home.”

Four Seasons already have other homes nearby that offer a much better care environment, said Ms Lawrance.

“It has been inconsistent in its quality of care provision over recent years and did not meet the performance requirements of the CQC during their most recent inspection in August. For all these reasons we need to pause to consider its future.”

Ms Lawrance said the wellbeing of the home’s residents remain the company’s top priorty.

Highground will continue to provide care until appropriate arrangements are made for all residents, with applications for staff to transfer to other homes to be considered where possible.

Graham Hodkinson, Wirral’s director of adult social care, said: “Since the inspection in August, the CQC and our Contracts and Quality Assurance team  have been working with the management of Highground to address the concerns in the report and support residents.

“We will continue to work with residents and their families to support them throughout the closure process and help them find alternative places they are happy with."

The Four Seasons senior regional management team will carry out a detailed analysis, taking account of the likely longer term patterns of need for care home places in the area, before taking a decision on the future of Highground.