A WIMBORNE care home has been labelled "inadequate" by inspectors who deemed it under-staffed and poorly led.

The Wimborne Care Home at Wimborne Road West was found to be under-staffed to the extent that residents at risk of dehydration were not helped to drink, residents requiring assistance to go to the toilet were left for long periods and one resident with a deteriorating pressure ulcer had not been properly assessed.

Inspectors also expressed concerns about the competence of some of the staff employed there and said they saw how one care worker failed to carry out checks on someone who had become unwell, despite being asked to do so.

Following the inspection in February, the home, which is operated by Four Seasons Health Care, was given an "inadequate" rating in two categories - whether the service is safe and whether it is well-led - and a rating of "requires improvement" in the three others - whether the service is effective, caring and responsive. The overall rating was "inadequate," the lowest possible.

The report said: "Six out of 10 members of staff told us they did not think there were enough suitably skilled staff that worked in the service to meet people's needs.

"One member of staff told us 'We need more staff.' They told us this meant that personal care could be delayed and they weren't always able to spend time with people to meet their welfare needs and to keep some people safe."

The report does however conclude that medicines were stored and administered safely, that people received support to eat their meals and that the new manager, who has been in post since last October, was making good progress in addressing staff turnover and addressing shortfalls.

"Staff spoke positively about the manager and the changes they had implemented since they took up their post," the report said.

"People, relatives and staff that we spoke with told us the manager and deputy manager were making good progress in addressing the areas of improvement in the home, such as staff turnover."

A Four Seasons spokesman said: "The well-being of people entrusted to our care is our first priority and we are very sorry that the care at Wimborne Care Home did not meet the standards that we expect all of our homes to provide.

"We are implementing a comprehensive improvement plan that we have discussed with the Care Quality Commission and Dorset County Council Adult Social Care department."

The spokesman added: "As the inspectors noted, they received very positive feedback about the new manager at the home, who is committed to improving the service and is being given proactive support from senior regional managers."