THE dignity of elderly residents in a Worcester nursing home is being stripped because of a Government cutback in incontinence pads.

A new ruling brought out by the NHS last year means they are only able to claim one free incontinence pad for use at night, or three for use during the day.

Any extra pads are charged at 37p each, which could amount to more than £6,000 per year for the privately-run home.

The new money-saving policy was fully phased in this February, and now homes are starting to feel its impact.

Instead of being ensured they do not soil their clothing residents suffering from dementia are telling lies rather than admit wetting themselves.

Staff at Teme Court Residential Home in Worcester say a resident's daughter was in tears after hearing that her mother had soiled herself.

"This new system bought in by the NHS means residents can only use a pad during the day or during the night, but not both times," said Yvonne Sims, the care manager at the Lower Wick home.

"It's an absolute nightmare. A lot of our residents have dementia and this is the first faculty to go.

"I've never ever smelled urine in our home and our staff are working incredibly hard to make sure you don't.

"But it's awful for the staff and it makes it worse for the residents. They're losing their dignity and will tell lies rather than admit they've wet themselves.

"It's tragic. They've just given up their homes and they're traumatised anyway. This is just horrible."

The home in Worcester has around 15 residents out of 21 suffering from dementia.

"It's better for the residents to use them at night because there are fewer staff," said the manager.

A spokesman for Bromsgrove and Redditch Primary Care Trust, the suppliers of the pads, said no complaint had been received from the home but said they would be investigating the issue.

Worcestershire Social Services says it was a decision made by the NHS, which is responsible for medical supplies.