BOURNEMOUTH council suspended six care home contracts last year due to "performance concerns".

The borough has contracts with 205 residential care homes and 41 home care agencies, and says 88 per cent of the former and 95 per cent of the latter met Care Quality Commission (CQC) requirements.

However, the six suspended care homes/agencies and 18 others have provoked "major concerns", according to a council quality assurance report by care contracts manager Sheena Randall.

None of the contracts were terminated however.

Meanwhile borough officers carried out site visits to only 42 per cent of homes over the 12 month period.

A report by Ms Randall to the council's health and adult social care scrutiny panel states that: "During the past 12 months the homecare service has undergone a tendering exercise for a framework of providers shared with Borough of Poole.

"This has meant fewer site visits have been conducted. This will be rectified jointly with Borough of Poole over the coming months."

Care services rated inadequate by the CQC are required to show improvement within six months or risk being closed down.