A SHIPLEY care home catering for people suffering from dementia has been labelled inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with concerns raised over the safety of residents.

Inspectors visited St Paul's Lodge, on St Paul's Road, in October last year, and found practices which "risked people experiencing discomfort and had the potential to risk people's health deteriorating."

A nursing home on Moorside Place in Thornbury - Mill Lodge Care Centre - was also told it requires improvement, following a surprise CQC visit in January.

At St Paul's Lodge, CQC inspectors deemed the safety, effectiveness, and leadership of services to be inadequate, with other areas requiring improvement.

Its report found that medicines had been mismanaged in some cases, with one resident not starting a course of antibiotics until four days after they had been prescribed.

Recruitment and selection procedures for new staff were also criticised, with the report stating they ran the risk of people deemed unsuitable to work with adults being employed.

St Paul's Lodge, part of the Just Global Ltd group, failed to respond to a request for a comment from the Telegraph & Argus.

At Mill Lodge Care Centre, CQC inspectors observed there were "insufficient staff to meet people's needs", with one female resident discovered in her nightclothes in a male resident's bedroom drinking water from his jug, with staff at the home unaware of her being there, despite the woman being on 15-minute checks.

Mealtimes were also identified as a problem, with residents in wheelchairs unable to get close enough to tables to eat their meals, and one person being allowed to eat soup by dipping their fingers in and sucking on them.

Geoff Edwards, regional director of Care UK, which manages the home, said: "We apologise for the fact that some aspects of the care in the home fell short, but it is pleasing to note that family members and residents told the inspectors that the team at the home were kind and caring, and that they felt safe.

"Since the inspection, we have worked hard to implement a comprehensive improvement plan which addresses things like improving our care plans and training for some of my colleagues.

"We have also looked at rosters in the home to allow a better deployment of team members to ensure that all the needs of the residents are met as quickly as possible.

"The improvement plan is still work in progress, and we will continue to work closely with CQC, and with residents and their families, to address any outstanding concerns, and to restore the good reputation of this lovely home."