A DUDLEY care home has been told it requires improvement following an inspection – but was praised kind and respectful staff.

Ashbourne Care Home, in Lightwood Road, has been given an overall assessment of ‘requiring improvement’ although it was given as ‘good’ rating for having a caring and responsive service.

The home, which provides care and accommodation for up to 38 older people, had an unannounced inspection in October 2014 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who found staff gave residents positive encouragement to support their independence and treated them in a way that promoted their privacy and dignity.

But after the inspection it was concluded that the service was not consistently well led and was not always safe as there were times when there was not enough staff available to meet people's needs or ensure their safety, despite residents insisting they felt safe.

The report stated: "We saw that staff tried to meet requests for help from people as soon as possible. We saw there were occasions where they had difficulty responding as they were already involved in assisting other people that needed help.

"We found that the registered manager and provider had a regular programme of quality checks in place hat demonstrated where people's care was monitored and improved. There were exceptions where action had not been taken, for example in respect of staffing and maintenance of the exterior of the building."

However the report did praise the staffs' attitude to the residents, stating: "People were complimentary about the service and its staff, describing them as kind and caring. We saw that staff worked with people in a way that demonstrated respect and kindness."

A spokesman for Four Seasons, which runs Ashbourne Care Home, said: "We are pleased that the CQC rated Ashbourne Care Home as 'good' for the service being caring and responsive.

"The wellbeing of people entrusted to our care is our priority and we are sorry that some aspects of the training and documentation did not meet the standards that we expect all of our care homes to provide.

"The CQC report relates to an inspection that took place in October 2014 and since that time we have been working on an improvement plan that is being overseen by our regional management team.

"This includes refreshing mental capacity assessment training for all staff members and consistently reviewing staff levels to ensure there are always the right number of staff on duty for the needs of our residents.

"Work has also taken place to improve the environment of the home. We are committed to providing person-centred care that meets the individual needs and preferences of all our residents and we continue to reassess residents’ care plans with them to ensure this is being provided at all times."