A care home in St Neots has closed after being put into ‘special measures’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Bethany Francis House, in Cambridge Street, was given an inadequate rating by the CQC after an inspection in February.

The report was a follow up from an initial inspection, which was held in September, and found the care home, which is owned by ADR Care Homes, to be 'inadequate'.

When the CQC returned, the home was still in breach of regulations and had failed to improve, leading to its closure in May.

Inspectors found risks associated with patient safety, cleanliness, medicine management, and staff training.

The inspector also found that carers were also being expected to work up to 70 hours to make up for staff shortages.

The report said: "People were not treated with compassion and there were breaches of dignity; staff caring attitudes had significant shortfalls and some regulations were not met."

The CQC also found that Bethany Francis House was not safe for residents and that although staff were caring, a lot of them lacked the training or resources to look after people with complex conditions such a dementia.

The CQC inspectors found that staff had "limited or no understanding of how dementia affected people in their day to day living" and that "many people with dementia-related needs were unable to communicate their pain or request pain relief. There were no methods or tools in place to help staff gauge and monitor people's pain to ensure adequate pain relief is given."

The report said there were not enough staff at the home to properly care for residents, and that staff were working excessive hours throughout the week.

The report said: "Staff worked very long hours, and on occasion double shifts, to ensure shifts were covered and to ensure people received care from staff they knew and trusted. However, staff were tired and supported by the provider; this had caused some to become sick, and others to leave."

Hygiene was also highlighted as an issue at the home. A relative said they were shocked at the state of a room, which had a "stained and soiled mattress and flooring".

The kitchen also failed its Environmental Health assessment.

The report said: "Walls and floors were filthy with grime and grease, air vents and fly screens were clogged with dead insects, grease and dust and mould growth around the sink and windows."

The Hunts Post contacted ADR Care Homes for comment but received no reply.