A CQC inspector visiting an ‘inadequate’ Worcester care home had to intervene to prevent a potential “choking hazard” after a person with dementia was given a cake and tried to eat the paper packaging.

Inspectors said staff at Teme Court, in Old Road, Lower Wick, “didn’t always protect people’s right to dignity” citing an occasion when a resident’s jumper had ‘ridden up’ exposing their body and staff had walked past them without offering to help.

Inspectors said the medicine cupboard door in the office was left open despite it containing prescribed creams and supplements.

The manager said “the lock was broken” and on the second inspection date it had been fixed but a prescribed cream was left unattended in a communal bathroom which could caused “harm” if ingested.

Some staff were found to be working without current Disclosure and Barring Service Checks (DBS) and the provider failed to display the most current inspection ratings, which is a legal requirement, no later than 21 days after the report has been published on the CQC website.

The care home, which accommodates up to 21 people and had 14 residents at the time of inspection, was rated inadequate for safety and leadership, and was found to require improvement for its care, responsiveness and effectiveness.

Overall it was found to be inadequate and remains in special measures following the inspection carried out on April 19 and May 16.

The report read: “People were not provided with a safe environment. People did not consistently have risks identified and assessed, or their identified risks mitigated.

“The service was not consistently caring. The way some staff spoke to people did not always show respect. People said although staff were kind and caring they were task-orientated and had little time to interact with people.”

It added: “People’s right to confidentiality was not always respected, as personal information was left out in communal areas.

“People did not always have fun and interesting things to do with their time.

“People’s choices were not adequately sought. The registered provider did not have adequate systems to ensure people’s care was consistently monitored.”

The report was published on July 17.

Services in special measures are kept under review and the home will be inspected again within six months.

The Worcester News contacted the care home for comment but no-one was available to comment.

To view the full report, go to cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/new_reports/INS2-4659918718.pdf.