A care home already in special measures has come under fire after health inspectors deemed it 'inadequate' again.

Woodchurch House, run by Graham Care Homes, received another damning report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The Brook Street home was first put into special measures in January, deemed inadequate in every area and warned it would be closed down if things didn't improve.

At a second inspection in August, the 65-bed facility was rated as requires improvement overall, but safety was still deemed inadequate.

Seven months later, in November, returning health inspectors found the care home was inadequate for three areas: being safe, effective and well-led.

A spokesman for the CQC said the third inspection was carried out after receiving 'information of concern' about the home, suggesting residents might be at risk of harm.

The spokesman said: "Risks to people had not been reduced; even though these had been specifically highlighted in previous inspection reports and staff had been made aware of them.

"People were not being protected from abuse or neglect because staff did not always react promptly or appropriately to people’s calls for help.

"Staff allowed one person to enter rooms uninvited and take other people’s property away.

"There were not enough trained, competent staff employed to meet people’s needs appropriately."

The spokesman said nurses did not always have the necessary skills or capabilities to support people safely, profession advice about diet had been ignored and the leadership was inadequate, which further put people at risk.

Debbie Ivanova, deputy chief inspector of adult social care, said: "Reading the reports, I find it unacceptable that any provider would think this is good enough care.

"They make for distressing reading and the provider has not demonstrated that they are able to improve the service.

"I want to ensure that people using this service receive the right care for them and this kind of poor care must not continue.

"We have rated Woodchurch House as inadequate and it remains in special measures.

"Our priority will always be to ensure the safety and welfare of people receiving services at all times and it is unacceptable to consider that people did not always receive their care as planned and were placed at risk of harm.

"CQC’s priority will always be for the safety of people using health and social care services.

"I expect improvements to be implemented with immediate effect.

"We will not hesitate to take the appropriate regulatory response to resolve the problems we have found and I have authorised my inspectors to consider the full range of our powers to ensure this happens."

A spokesperson for the home said: "The health, safety and wellbeing of residents are our top priorities. We put in place a comprehensive action plan to address the areas raised by the CQC, immediately after the inspection in November. The home has a new management team in place and we are working closely with Residents and relatives to involve them in all aspects of care at the home.

"We are making positive progress and will continue working with the CQC to ensure the home provides good quality care. We look forward to welcoming them back to the home for a further inspection."