ACTION is being taken against a care home in Charminster which has been told improvements are required in four out of the five areas it was assessed in – and which let one resident sleep in a urine soaked bed for up to five days.

Beechey House, a private care home on Beechey Road that specialises in dementia care, was praised for having kind and approachable staff who knew their residents well in the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

However, the document, published on January 30 following an unannounced inspection in November, said that residents were not being sufficiently protected against the risks of malnutrition and that the level of care had a ‘major impact’ on those using the service.

One example given by the CQC described how staff only changed sheets on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an incontinent resident who became distressed when staff tried to swap the bedding.

“This meant the person had been sleeping in wet urine soaked sheets for up to five days,” said the report.

The government body criticised the home’s hygiene, describing a ‘risk of legionella’, a stained and odorous urine bottle found in a communal drawer and a commode containing cigarette ends in the garden.

It also said the way the dementia sufferers were fed did not promote dignity and they were repeatedly given food it was specified they did not like.

Exposed wiring and a broken window restrictor also posed a risk to residents, according to the report.

David Leighton, Chief Officer of Age UK Bournemouth, said: “It is shocking and distressing to hear reports such as this but sadly they are not nearly as rare as they should be. “Older people and those suffering from dementia deserve to be treated with the same level of dignity and respect as any other member of the community.”

An anonymous reviewer on goodcareguide.co.uk, who said she is the daughter of a resident at the 15-bed home, said on October 10 2013 that her mother had no privacy and was not receiving the support she needed.

She added: “Smells like urine everywhere. Toilets are shared and not cleaned regularly.”

A spokesman for CQC said they had issued five warning notices to Beechey House telling them they must improve or face further enforcement action, and are working closely with the council to ensure residents’ needs are being met.

He said: “We will be returning to the care home in the near future unannounced to check whether they have made the improvements we require. If the improvements are not made, we will consider further action.”

Beechey House declined to comment on the report.