A care home in Elton has received an ordered to improve after inspectors found residents were not being supported "in their best interests".

Abbeydale Residential Care Home on Bolton Road was given an overall rating of "requires improvement" by watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following a routine inspection in May.

The care home was given the same rating for all by one of the individual areas in which in was assessed, apart from the question of safety, for which it was given an "inadequate" rating.

Following the publication of the CQC’s report in June, inspectors have asked the care home, which provides personal care for thirty people, to outline the action it intends to take.

In its overall summary of the care home, the CQC identified problems regarding the safe recruitment of staff, care plans and quality assurance systems.

The CQC report said: “People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and were not being supported in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

“Medicines were not always managed safely across the home. Robust systems were not in place to prevent and minimise the spread of infections.

"We found staff had not always been recruited safely.”

However, inspectors noted that “there were enough staff to meet people's needs and there was a core staff team who knew people well".

The report added: “Staff spoke fondly and knowledgeably about the people they cared for.”

During an inspection of the safety at Abbeydale, the CQC concluded that residents "were not safe and were at risk of avoidable harm".

The report added: “People did not always receive their medicines safely and practice was not carried out in accordance with the homes medication policy.

“There were duplicated records for one person and missing records for others. One person's record stated they had received more antibiotics than the prescribed amount.

“Staff did not record when time critical medicines were administered so we were not sure if they had been given properly.”

Having previously been rated as "good" inspectors found that the "effectiveness of care, treatment and support now did not always achieve good outcomes or was consistent".

The report said: “Records showed some staff had not completed training on safeguarding, first aid, mental capacity act, dementia, moving and handling and fire safety.

“Records relating to supervision were disorganised and it was not possible to obtain an effective overview of which staff had and had not been supported in this way.”

However, inspectors noted that residents “were supported with their health needs and had access to a range of health care professionals".

Efforts were made to contact Abbeydale Residential Care Home for a comment about the inspection report.