A "visibly dirty" care home was found to stink of urine in "almost every area" according to a damning inspection report.
The Dales Care Home, in Marine Park, West Kirby, was rated inadequate by healthcare watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after inspectors visited the home last month.
Their findings were published this week, describing "serious concerns" around infection and Covid-19 control, risk management, safeguarding and delivery of care.
READ MORE: Dad 'tortured' at care home where he was left 'naked' and not washed for days
Inspectors found there were serious failings in basic hygiene throughout the facility, which homes around 25 residents, and while PPE was being used it was being disposed of unsafely.
The report said: "The home was visibly dirty. It smelled very strongly of urine in almost every part of the home. Carpets in most of the home were worn, threadbare, sticky and heavily stained.
"We found significant evidence that staff were not supporting people to live in clean and sanitary conditions, especially within their own bedrooms and bathrooms.
"Appropriate Infection prevention control (IPC) policies and procedures in respect of Covid-19 were not in place.
"Testing was not being carried out in accordance with government guidance and visitors were not instructed by staff to follow guidelines to keep people safe.
"PPE was in use but was not disposed of safely.
"We observed discarded PPE in a number of places around the home including bathroom and bedroom floors and in wastepaper bins. Clinical waste bins for the disposing of used PPE were available but were not always used appropriately."
Other serious concerns included a failure to keep some residents safe from harm.
Inspectors found one person had been identified as at "very high risk" from falls, but experienced regular falls that were not recorded and resulted in no action to keep them safe.
The inspection team wrote: "The oversight of risk in the home was very poor.
"Accidents, incidents and safeguarding concerns were not recorded in the correct format, so they were missed by managers and no action taken in response to them.
"We identified 17 concerns in the last three weeks that had been missed resulting in people being placed at risk from potential harm and abuse."
Some of the issues appeared to be due to a lack of leadership, with the report noting that the registered manager had been absent "for some time" and the home had been left in the hands of an acting manager.
However the acting manager was "not able to demonstrate they had the skills or knowledge to manage the service safely".
When the inspectors raised concerns with the registered manager, the report accepted they "acknowledged the failures within the service and promptly started to take action to address all of the concerns found at the inspection".
The ECHO contacted Dale House for comment but received no reply.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
