THE CHRISTCHURCH care home which put on controversial pole dancing displays for its residents has been ordered to improve, after government inspectors witnessed a number of incidents during a visit.

The Care Quality Commission found that Fairmile Grange - which opened last year in the grounds of Christchurch Hospital - had left its medicine trolley unlocked; 'potentially providing access to vulnerable people'.

Its inspection report said residents had not always been protected from 'avoidable harm'. "One person had a high risk of falls and needed to have their walking aid in reach and an alert pad on their chair," said the report. "We found this had not happened."

And they noted that some people were 'at risk of deteriorating skin' because topical cream administration was not 'consistently happening in line with prescriptions'.

All care home inspections look at identical criteria and so Fairmile was judged on five measures; whether it is a safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-lead establishment.

Inspectors reported that while the home's safety, leadership and responsiveness required improvement, it was effective and caring, with good food and staff who were kind to the people they looked after.

"If people were anxious, staff spent time offering emotional support," said the inspectors. "Staff had a good understanding of people’s interests and this meant they could talk with people about things that interested them".

There were 50 people staying at the 80-bed home at the time of the unannounced inspection, which took place during January, just a few weeks before news broke of the pole dancing session.

At the time both relatives and residents had been requesting “more modern-style activities” according to Fairmile and, when given the choice, “welcomed” the pole dancers’ performance. Operations and quality director for Encore Care Homes, which runs Fairmile Grange, Izzy Nicholls, said the performance “received overwhelming positive feedback from relatives”.

Home Manager Mary Maughan-Otten said she welcomed CQC inspections and had put measures in place to make the required improvements.

"We will continue to run our own in-depth audits using the CQC’s KLOE (Key Lines of Enquiry) tool to ensure we continue to look at these aspects constantly," she added.

The improvements would be made 'quickly and efficiently,' she said adding that residents and families could be assured that: "Our care remains at the forefront and an absolute priority."