QUALITY watchdogs have rated a specialist care home as inadequate.

Inspectors who visited Laurel Bank Care Home in Wilsden unannounced in July have put the home into special measures and will keep it under review for the next six months.

The home could face closure if improvement are not made.

Care Quality Commission inspectors found staff at Laurel Bank had not always made sure people had taken their prescribed medicines or taken acted appropriately when discarded medicines were discovered.

Feedback was also mixed about staff morale and the approachability of the management team.

Risk assessments were not always up-to-date, call bells were not always answered in a timely manner, staff appeared rushed, some staff training needed to be updated and although people told the inspectors staff were caring they also said they did not have the time to talk or spend meaningful time with them.

The report states: “The overall rating for this service is inadequate and the service is therefore in special measures.

"Services in special measures will be kept under review and, if we have not taken immediate action to propose to cancel the provider’s registration of the service, will be inspected again within six months.

"The expectation is that providers found to have been providing inadequate care should have made significant improvements within this timeframe.”

If not enough improvement is made the CQC can take enforcement procedures to begin the process of stopping the provider from running the service.

The home’s owner Stephen Walkden said he was disappointed by the findings and has lodged an appeal .

Mr Walkden, who runs two other homes in Allerton and Wibsey as part of his Victorguard company, said: “You can’t be at the top of everyone’s Christmas card list.

"We say to everybody we care for, we’re not perfect, we do make mistakes but we learn from them. We deal with all residents and families on an individual basis and work exceptionally hard doing so.

"No way on earth is this home inadequate.”