A WIRRAL care home rated ‘inadequate’ left its residents at risk of malnourishment, an inspection revealed.

The Court, on Barton Road, Hoylake, was slammed for its ‘unsafe’ staff recruitment, ignorance of resident’s food requirements and a lack of respect for their needs.

The most worrying finding in the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report read: “People did not always receive a suitable diet and some people did not eat enough to mitigate the risk of becoming malnourished.”

Food management seemed to be a particular thorn in the care home’s side. Another extract read: “One person had recently experienced weight loss. The person’s weight loss had not been picked up.

“As a result, a referral to dietetic services had not been made in a timely manner.”

The staff themselves were another major concern. The company’s staff recruitment was “unsafe [and] did not ensure that only fit and proper persons were employed to work in the home.

“For example, some staff had not completed training in safeguarding, moving and handling, fire awareness, food hygiene, health and safety or dementia care.”

Such severe negligence is a serious risk to care standards and may explain instances such as this one, the report reads: “We saw that some people routinely walked around the home asking if they could go home or if they were due a visitor.”

The Court provides residential care for those who require nursing or personal care and is run by Ryding Care Services Ltd.

Most of the people who reside at the home have dementia.

An important aspect of any care home is the responsiveness of staff to people’s needs.

The CQC found The Court wanting in this area also: “People’s care plans were reviewed monthly. These reviews were meaningless.

“They did not show that changes in people’s needs were fully considered to ensure the care they received remained responsive and appropriate.”

People’s choices for their final few days of life were also not respected, the report stated: “People did not have suitable end of life care plans in place to advise staff of their end of life wishes and preferences.”

The report found some redeeming features to the care home.

People told the CQC that staff were kind and caring and though the training of staff was questioned, there was a sufficient number of staff on duty.

But the litany of issues, whether it be food, staff training or respecting people’s needs, mean The Court was rated as inadequate and has been placed in ‘special measures’.

This means The Court will face another inspection in the next six months.

If the care home has not sufficiently improved by then, its license to provide care will be amended or cancelled altogether.

A spokesperson for The Court said: “We are working with a top consultancy firm to ensure we make improvements in any area we are not 100% perfect in at the moment.

“We are also working closely with social services and have a robust action plan in place.

“We have been keeping everyone up-to-date with what we are doing.”