A POOLE care home has been placed into special measures after it was branded ‘inadequate’ by a Government health watchdog.

Care Quality Commission (CGC) bosses have raised serious concerns about Coral House following an inspection in March.

The home, in Alder Hills, has been ordered to make drastic changes in the next six months - or risk being stripped of its licence.

It was graded ‘inadequate’ overall - and in the ‘safe’, ‘effective’ and ‘well-led’ categories.

It was deemed to ‘require improvement’ in the ‘responsive’ category but the ‘caring’ element of the service was graded as ‘good’ .

The facility, run by Harbour Care (UK) which is part of the Priory Group, cares for up to seven people with learning disabilities in Poole.

The inspectors “identified serious concerns and shortfalls” about the safety of three people and made safeguarding alerts to the local authority.

According to the report these people had not received the care and treatment they needed and the registered manager and staff had not recognised that people were at risk of harm and neglect.

The home was last inspected in 2015 when it was rated as “requires improvement” following concerns about the speed in which allegations of abuse were reported.

During the most recent inspection particular criticism was levelled at the “high turnover” of staff at the home which meant people were not consistently supported by a fully-trained team.

There were also concerns about medicines being managed safely and the cleanliness of the home.

Despite the fact that none of the residents smoke, empty plant pots were seen filled with cigarette ends.

According to the report, one of them was so full it had even spilled out onto the patio.

The inspectors also noted that the lounge wasn’t clean and there were crumbs and a half eaten apple under the sofa.

The registered and regional manager ordered new sofas during the inspection following concerns about cleanliness.

Inspectors also noted that an oxygen concentrator, which was used by one resident every night whilst they slept, had a layer of dust on it and the filter was thick with dust.

Staff were praised for the caring way they treated residents and were said to show “a genuine warmth and regard for their welfare”.

A spokesman for Coral House said: “We take the CQC report seriously and have a robust action plan in place, overseen by senior management, to ensure all the issues it raises are fully addressed.

“A new manager has started. Our absolute priority is to ensure that residents receive the safe and effective care that they need, and we look forward to the CQC visiting again shortly.”