Safety needs to be improved at a Dorchester care home, inspectors say.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) recently visited Maumbury Care and Nursing Home, on Weymouth Avenue, and found that the service was not always safe and leadership was inadequate.

The care home was given an overall rating of ‘requires improvement.’

The service provides residential care to 35 older people, some of whom are living with a dementia, and inspectors found that risks in relation to malnutrition and dehydration had not been consistently managed or actions taken in order to minimise the risks.

They also found that staff did not complete residents’ charts sufficiently to monitor intake for any of the people they assessed, for example, fluid charts were not always completed.

The service was rated ‘good’ in effectiveness, offering a caring service and responsiveness. Inspectors noted that residents and their families described the care staff as caring and kind.

A spokesman for Maumbury Care and Nursing Home, which is run by the Cheriton Care Centre, said: “The Cheriton Care Centre is disappointed with the overall outcome of the CQC report as we do not feel it is a proportionate rating based on the weight of evidence and the actual outcomes for people as indicated throughout the report.

“We were, however, pleased to see much positive feedback overall and that improvements were recognised, with three ‘good’ outcomes received. Whilst we always welcome the constructive feedback of the CQC, on this occasion we did formally challenge what we felt to be factual inaccuracies.

“The team at Maumbury Care and Nursing Home are committed to every aspect of the services we provide being at a consistently high quality level.

“We have a new matron joining our team and look forward to welcoming the CQC on their return, at which time we are confident that further improvements will be evidenced.

“Ongoing engagement with the local authority and CCG continues in terms of service delivery and development”