A CARE home in Worcester is not consistently safe, caring or well-led according to a health watchdog.

St Stephen’s Care Home in Droitwich Road has been rated as “requires improvement” across five key care criteria by the Care Quality Commission following a visit in April.

The regulator found there were not enough employees to meet residents’ care and welfare needs, with people often waiting for assistance from busy members of staff.

But Gold Care Homes, which runs the 51-person centre, has promised it is “moving forward in a clear, positive direction” and has set its sights on becoming a “centre of excellence”.

Inspectors wrote in their report, which was published on Wednesday, June 10: “The service was not consistently safe. People were not supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their care and welfare needs.

“People’s consent and right to freedom had not always been obtained and recorded correctly [and] people had not always been supported to make everyday choices and were not engaged in their personal interests and hobbies.

“Improvements were needed to ensure effective procedures were in place to identify areas of concern.”

St Stephen’s Care Home however was praised for “being respectful of residents’ privacy and dignity” and taking into account people’s individual preferences.

Inspectors added “people felt safe and looked after by staff” and “people, their relatives and staff were complimentary about the overall service and had their views listened to”.

Jasmine Lidder, regional manager at Gold Care Homes, said: “While acknowledging our latest Care Quality Commission report leaves some room for improvement, St Stephen's is now moving forward in a clear, positive direction.

“With a new registered manager in place and increased support and guidance from the regional team we are confident that we will be the centre of excellence over the next coming months.

“The high standard of care within St Stephen's still remains at the heart of what we all do.”