A care home has been told it must change after a watchdog found residents had wet themselves while left alone and medication had not always been received.

Eastern Daily Press: Iceni House in Swaffham has been told it must improve. Photo: ArchantIceni House in Swaffham has been told it must improve. Photo: Archant (Image: Archant © 2006)

Iceni House, in Swaffham, cares for 62 people aged 65 and over who require residential or specialist dementia care.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection was made at the Jack Boddy Way home after safeguarding issues were raised by a Breckland Council monitoring team.

The report deemed the home inadequate for safety. It said response times to call bells could be slow, with one person saying they had wet themselves "several times".

This raised concerns around the level of staffing, with some residents not up until lunch time, the report said, or left in their rooms missing morning activities because staff were stretched.

Inspectors said there was a "lack of clear strategy" on handling distress behaviours, with a "high number of altercations" taking place between staff and residents when they became distressed.

The home was rated inadequate under the effective and well-led categories, and requires improvement under the caring and responsive ones.

A new system for monitoring medication has been installed at the home and, despite staff receiving training, the report said there had been errors.

The report said: "We were not confident in the systems and processes governing the safe administration of medicines because we identified some basic principles were not being adhered to.

"We found irregularities in stock control, which meant people had not always received their prescribed medicines."

The care home was rated good in its last inspection in December 2017 but the report highlights that a loss of staff was behind its issues.

"Since the last inspection standards have not been maintained at this service and the service is no longer rated as good," it said.

"Changes in staffing had impacted on the service. Both unit managers had left and there was a high number of agency staff which impacted on the care and stability of the service."

The report was sent to the home after the inspection. The CQC said the home provided its "current action plan and oversight of risk".

Iceni House was contacted for comment.