Inspectors have rated a Teesside care home "inadequate" following ongoing concerns about the treatment and care of its residents.

Gables Care Home, run by T.L. Care Limited was slammed with a low rating and has been placed into special measures to "protect people" following inspections in May and June.

During the review, inspectors found that food and fluid charts were poorly completed, staff morale was low and there was limited evidence of learning from leaders when things went wrong.

The home, which houses 64 people, cares for people with dementia and will now be monitored and kept under close review following its low ranking.

A full statement from Linda Hirst, CQC deputy director of operations in the North revealed that people living there "didn't feel like a priority" to staff.

She said: “When we assessed Gables Care Home, it was disappointing that leaders had made little improvement or progress since we last inspected and we continued to identify shortfalls that compromised people’s safety and the quality of care they were receiving.

“Staff raised safeguarding concerns with leaders, but these hadn’t been acted upon and no action had been taken. Concerns included staff sleeping on shifts and staff not being trained in moving and handling people which could place them at risk of harm.

“The local authority had raised concerns about the poor quality of people’s care plans. They contained limited information about people’s preferred care and how to support them safely. There was a risk that if a person was admitted to hospital, important information wouldn’t be available, and we found hospital records hadn’t been completed for most people.

“It was concerning that people told us they didn’t feel like a priority to staff. A resident survey completed in January included areas for improvement such as people knowing about their care plan and being involved in decisions around their care, but no action had been taken to improve these areas.

“Leaders acknowledged improvements were needed in relation to care planning and were working to improve these. They said they were starting to see positive changes at the service with staff being more open and feeling more supported due to the appointment of a new home manager.

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“We have told leaders where we expect to see rapid, widespread improvements and will continue to monitor the home closely to keep people safe during this time.  We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to take further action if people aren’t receiving the care they have a right to expect.”

However, inspectors also note that staff were kind, and compassionate and knew all of the residents well.

Call bells were also usually responded to quickly and those needing support with meals were assisted safely and appropriately.