A WIRRAL nursing and residential home has closed after a shocking catalogue of failures was discovered by the UK care watchdog.

Rose Brae in Bebington received an overall "inadequate" rating - the worst possible ranking - and failed ten safety regulations when it was inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Among the independent regulator's alarming findings were:

Staff with criminal convictions were hired without due consideration about whether they were suitable to care for vulnerable people.

A resident endured 18 hours without food or water.

People were not protected from the risk of abuse.

Requests for help went unanswered.

Decisions to deprive people of their liberty were taken when there was no evidence staff were trained to support people with these needs.

The temperature of hot water in people’s room was either lukewarm or a scalding risk.

And one incident involving a hoist amounted to "potentially criminal restraint."

The CQC report said people did not always receive adequate nutrition and hydration.

“One person was fed an inappropriate diet for some of their meals which increased their risk of a choking episode and one person went for an 18-hour period without anything to eat and drink.

Two people had unexplained bruising which had not been investigated or reported to the relevant authorities.

There was no documented explanation of how the bruising had occurred or evidence that an internal investigation was undertaken to establish its cause.

The reports says: "We asked the manager about this. They confirmed no investigation had taken place and no referrals made to the person’s GP and social worker for further investigation.

"We asked the manager if they had reported the incidents as potential safeguarding events to the local authority safeguarding team and the Care Quality Commission.

"They confirmed they had not. It was clear from our discussions with the manager that no consideration had been given to the possibility that the unexplained bruising could be an indicator of potential abuse."

One person’s personal care was undertaken with the use of afull body hoist due to incidences of "challenging behaviour."

“The use of the hoist in this way meant the person’s freedom of movement was restricted.

“This was potentially unlawful restraint.”

Other concerns raised in the report relate to recruitment of staff

“Where people had criminal conviction these were not properly considered prior to appointment.

“This meant the provider could not be assured that they were safe and suitable to work with vulnerable people.”

The dignity of residents was not always respected: “One person required their catheter bag to be changed and this was announced in a loud voice across the lounge by a staff member.

“We heard a person ask four times for staff assistance - but their request for help went unanswered.

“A person coughed for a prolonged period of time after being fed an inappropriate diet by a member of staff.

“A nurse observed the person coughing but took no appropriate action to alleviate the person’s distress.”

The home on Spital Road was inspected in December and put on special measures after being rated inadequate.

Follow-up visits in February and March found little or no improvement and, according to the CQC, the provider made the decision to close the home and cancel registration with commission.

The Globe has attempted to contact Rose Brae but the listed telephone number is no longer valid.

Opening times on its Facebook page have been amended to "permanently closed."