Details of "unacceptable care" following an inspection at a care home in Whittlesey have now been released to the public.

It comes after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) announced last month (September) that The Elms, in Arnold’s Lane, has been forced to close after government officials cancelled its registration with the CQC.

The CQC visited The Elms on both June 30 and September 12 this year and rated it “inadequate” in all five areas.

The home would have been put into special measures if it had remained open.

The details of both inspections have only been released today (October 5).

The Elms was given the worst possible rating after inspectors ruled the home was “not well-led” and that people’s needs were “not always planned in line with best practice guidance”.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the care home following information they received which indicated the home may not have made improvements that inspectors previously said were required.

The Elms, which is run by HC-One, cared for up to 37 people living with dementia and was previously rated “requires improvement”.

It claimed a “failure in local leadership” is behind the closure.

Speaking of the situation at The Elms, a statement from HC-One said: “These shortcomings in care all stem from a failure in local leadership and severe recruitment and retention challenges.”

The home was rated “inadequate” on whether the service was safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led.

CQC’s head of inspection for adult social care, Louise Broddle, said: “Standards of care at the Elms were unacceptable.

“People’s needs and preferences were not being met, including during end-of-life care, and they weren’t being treated with dignity or respect.”

Inspectors found that “people didn’t always receive their medicines as prescribed”, “their fluid and food intake was inconsistently managed”, and “staff didn’t always seek prompt medical advice after making errors”.

This was worsened because “staff did not monitor people’s health conditions or make referrals to external professions when needed”.

The reported added that “staff did not always safeguard people from harm and had not referred all potential safeguarding events to the local authority in line with the local authority’s protocols”.

It continued that the provider was “heavily reliant” on the use of agency workers which resulted in people not receiving consistent care and that staff did not feel “well supported” by management.

“There was no reliable report of the staff who had worked in the home,” the report read.

However, it found that people reported liking the food provided and communal activities.

Inspectors were also told of kind interactions they received from staff.

The statement from HC-One read: “Without consistent, strong leadership and a care team we cannot deliver the standard of care that we all want for residents living at the home.”

The Elms is due to close by October 23.