A CARE home was shut down due to a catalogue of failings and serious safety concerns, a hard-hitting report has revealed.

Laburnum House in Wells Street, Bury, cared for 11 people recovering from mental illness in a detached property with a garden.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) served the owners with a warning notice last September over fears about residents’ well-being recorded throughout 2014.

They returned in December last year and a report out this week showed why they were compelled to cancel the home's registration, banning it from operating and forcing it to move residents out.

The CQC judged the home to be inadequate, with serious concerns about safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership.

Among the most serious concerns were the consequences of a staff shortage.

On one shift, there was just one worker on duty, so a resident who needed the toilet had to wait several hours for another worker to arrive before they could go.

"Some people looked unkempt and were wearing creased ill-fitting clothing," the report said.

Inspectors also found that staff did not have the necessary training and the management of medicines was unsafe, as anyone could access them.

They said the home was in a poor state of repair with damaged furniture, ripped wallpaper and stained carpets as well as problematic plumbing and "extremely cold" rooms.

One resident told the inspection team: "The house is a disgrace. They have put no money into this house, they just patch it up.

"I don't expect Buckingham Palace, but this is not good enough."

Another said: "I am cold. They turn the heating off. It's on a timer."

Staff told inspectors they did not know how to turn the heating on.

Care records were not updated, putting residents at risk of getting inappropriate care and there was no record of complaints.

The range of food on offer was low and staff were given £100 a week to buy food for residents and cleaning products and they told inspectors they did not think that was enough.

There were no organised activities to stimulate residents and they were not offered education or employment opportunities.

CQC adult social care deputy chief inspector Debbie Westhead said: "We gave Laburnum House Limited every opportunity to improve, but still the provider placed people at risk of receiving inappropriate or unsafe care.

"In the circumstances, we had no option but to cancel the registration.”

According to companies house, Laburnum House Ltd, based in Lench Road, Rossendale, ran the home and Pauline Jones was the director.

An extraordinary general meeting was held in Manchester Road, Bury, on May 8 and a resolution to wind up the firm was passed.

Mr Colin Jones, secretary of Laburnham House Ltd, said that the home would have closed in any case as it was not receiving enough money from Bury Council.

He added: “The residents were well cared for and the staffing levels were sufficient.

“A lot of what the CQC has said we dispute. The place was heated. The bill from British Gas from October to February was £7,000. We only had two boilers and did the best we could.”

Mr Jones added that he did not feel the company had done anything wrong and that many of the residents had not wanted to move out.