A CARE home for adults with physical disabilities has been blasted as 'inadequate' after health inspectors found people were not being protected from Covid-19 risks – only one of many problems.

The Care Quality Commission's damning findings came after an inspection of John Masefield House in the village of Burcot, near Abingdon, which discovered that 'effective infection control systems' against the virus were not implemented.

The report into the residential home, which accommodates 22 adults, rated it 'inadequate' in two areas including safety and 'requires improvement' in three.

This was the first inspection of John Masefield House, which is managed by private provider Valorum Care.

ALSO READ: Concerns over alleged 'mask flouters' in pizza takeaway

It was prompted in part due to concerns received about lack of equipment, impacting on people's quality of care and lack of leadership and provider oversight of the service, the CQC explained.

In their findings, inspectors said: "Risks to people were not always assessed and managed safely.

"One person had bed rail protectors on their bed rails that had been identified as not safe to use.

"People were not always supported in line with their care plan to ensure risks associated with eating and drinking were managed."

The regulator concluded that residents were 'at risk of harm' as systems were either not in place or robust enough to ensure risks to people were managed safely.

There were also a number of concerns about risks relating to infection control, which were not 'effectively managed'.

ALSO READ: Covid deaths rise by 17 in Oxfordshire in just one day

Inspectors revealed: "There were no cleaning records for people's rooms and cleaning staff told us they did not record this.

"Infection control audits had also not been completed on a regular basis during the pandemic and they did not monitor the systems and processes that should be in place to manage Covid-19 risks.

"Individual risk assessments had not been completed for staff or people using the service to identify the risk levels in relation to contracting the virus.

"There were also no plans in place to identify how risks relating to the spread of infection would be managed in relation to the environment.

"There were no zoning and cohorting plans in place in advance of any outbreak."

ALSO READ: One arrested after hare coursing incident

The findings also revealed that residents did not always receive food and drink to meet their needs.

Inspectors said that relatives had 'no confidence' in the care home's management and were told that some staff did not always treat residents with respect.

A Valorum Care spokesperson commented: "The outcome of the inspection is disappointing and we are taking extremely seriously the matters raised.

"We had already implemented a series of major changes at the scheme prior to inspection as we were aware there were a number of issues. The inspection has highlighted other issues that need addressing and we are now incorporating these measures into our plan."