CARE watchdogs have ranked a Bradford residential home and a care agency as inadequate and have put them both in special measures.

Cooper House Care Home and Sentinel Homecare Limited were given the rating by Care Quality Commission inspectors and have now been told by Bradford Council not to take on any new clients or residents until their services are satisfactory and can be kept up.

Paul Hunt, contact and quality assurance manager, commissioning team, in Bradford Council’s Department of Health & Wellbeing, said: “Until we are confident that services are of the quality required, we have imposed an embargo on the two providers, meaning they cannot take on any new clients or residents.

“This embargo is being placed in accordance with our Integrated Health and Social Care Serious Concerns Procedure.

“It will remain in force until a Council-led Serious Concerns Meeting is satisfied that the service is being delivered to the required quality standards and that this is sustainable.

“Both organisations are working closely with the Council and the regulator to ensure people are safeguarded.”

Inspectors who checked Sentinel, based in Duncombe Road, at the end of November last year found the service it was offering to about 230 people with disabilities and dementia had deteriorated since they visited in 2015.

More than half the people spoken to complained about late calls, calls cut short and a lack of competency of some staff employed by the service.

The inspectors also found that although some people said staff were nice and friendly, others said that was not always the case and they were not always treated with dignity and respect.

Before inspectors visited Cooper House Care Home in Cooper Lane last November they had received a number of concerns about risk management, people’s personal care and nutritional needs not being met, lack of staff and management.

During their visit they found a number of shortfalls in care and service.

Inspectors found there were not enough care staff on duty to keep people safe or to meet their needs in a timely way.

Neither were there enough housekeeping staff to make sure the home was kept clean at all times or enough laundry staff to ensure clothing was returned to the right residents after being washed.

There had also been several unwitnessed falls on the second floor and not enough had been done to mitigate the risk of people falling.

A spokesman for the home said: “We take this CQC report extremely seriously and immediately put in place a full action plan to address all the issues it raises.

“These are being overseen and implemented by onsite senior management, who are based full-time at the home.

“We have increased staffing, with more nurse-led care and support, and improved care plans and training.”

Sentinel was invited to comment by the Telegraph & Argus but no response was received before deadline.

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