A CHARD care home has been told it requires improvement after inspectors said residents were “at risk of unsafe and inconsistent care”.

The report, carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), also found residents at Oak Lodge Care Home in Lordsleaze Lane didn’t always receive care when they rung their bell, medicines were not always provided, and record-keeping was inconsistent.

The home was rated in five categories: safety, effectiveness, care, responsiveness and whether it is well-led.

They were found to be good at effectiveness and caring, but requiring improvement in the other three categories and requiring improvement overall.

Oak Lodge Care Home accommodates 47 people, including eight people in the dementia-friendly Acorns ward, and is run by Majesticare (Oak Lodge) Limited.

In response to the report, Roger Pratap, chairman of Majesticare, said: “While we were pleased the CQC recognised many of the positive aspects of Oak Lodge and the skills and knowledge of its staff team, we were of course disappointed with the overall rating given.

“Since the date of the report, significant improvements have been made in identified areas, to bring Oak Lodge up to the same “good” standard achieved by all the other care homes we manage.”

The inspection was carried out unannounced on September 13. At the time of the inspection there were 40 people living at Oak Lodge.

In the report’s overall summary, it said: “Although people said they felt safe, we found examples which placed people at risk of unsafe and inconsistent care.

“The service did not always have enough suitable staff to consistently meet people’s needs in a timely manner.

“A relative, who visited the home most days, said although they felt their relative was safe and well cared for, there were times when the home was short staffed and people had to wait some time to be assisted.

“During the inspection call bells were often ringing for more than seven minutes.

“Medicines were kept securely in locked medicine trolleys which were stored in locked treatment rooms when not in use.

“However we checked people’s records and stock levels during our inspection and found some of these to be incorrect.

“Some people who required assistance to take their medication told us sometimes they did not receive their medicines when they were due. One person said “I waited until 10pm and they still didn’t come”.

“There were inconsistencies and inaccuracies in people’s care records, including how people’s risks were monitored. This meant people may not have received the care they required.”