A NURSING home near Evesham has failed to meet three essential care standards, according to the Care Quality Commission.

Inspectors visited Pitchill House Nursing Home, Salford Priors, at the end of August and their report revealed under-staffing at the centre had compromised residents’ privacy and dignity.

Several cases of people waiting between 20 and 40 minutes for help with personal tasks such as going to the toilet were highlighted in the document.

A spokesman for the home, which can accommodate up to 46 people with nursing needs, however insisted “a full action plan” had been implemented to address the issues raised.

The Care Quality Commission report, which was published on Friday, September 26, raised particular concerns over the care and welfare of residents and the staffing levels in the home.

It stated failings in these areas meant “people who use the service experienced poor care that had a significant effect on their health, safety or welfare or there was a risk of this happening”.

Inspectors continued: “Care and treatment was not planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people’s safety and welfare.

“This meant people’s needs had not always been met and their privacy and dignity had been compromised because they had not received the care and support when required.”

An example of a resident waiting 40 minutes for help to go to the toilet, which left them feeling “upset” and with pains in their leg, was cited.

Another resident was quoted as saying “you feel nervous because they [the staff] are so busy”.

Inspectors added that there were “not enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs” at the home which meant people were “at risk of receiving inappropriate care”.

A reliance on agency staff was detailed as a contributing factor to these problems.

The report however did include some praise for the home, calling it “clean and fresh with no unpleasant odours” and quoting residents as stating “the staff are kind and caring” and “overall I am very happy”.

Inspectors also stated the home had successfully met standards relating to the quality of management and involving residents in their care.

A spokesman for the home, which is run by HC-One Limited, said: “Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and well-being of those we support.

“Immediately following the inspection we implemented a full action plan to ensure we addressed the areas raised.

“The home has been supported throughout by senior managers as we work towards this action plan.

“We are also recruiting and training a new care team and have implemented a range of processes to ensure consistent high quality care.

“We look forward to our next inspection, demonstrating the improvements made and achieving full compliance.”

Gillian Entwistle, chief officer at NHS South Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which covers Salford Priors, added: “We take our responsibility to commission high quality, safe care and look after the most vulnerable very seriously.

“We are aware of this CQC report and we are working together with Warwickshire County Council to understand the issues at the care home further and address any concerns.

“We will be investigating the issues raised and an action plan will be put in place to resolve them.”