A CATALOGUE of safety hazards, management failings and over-stressed staff at a West Oxfordshire care home have been laid bare in a scathing report.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) slapped Hawthorns in Minster Lovell with an inadequate rating after visiting the site in December.

Provider Meriden Homes has since gone into administration and inspectors found the home dangerous and in disarray, with over-stressed staff and bills going unpaid.

Hawthorns provides accommodation and support for six adults with learning disabilities who inspectors said were 'unable to tell us if they felt safe'.

The report noted: "Pathway surfaces adjacent to the access points of the service were cracked, pitted and contained holes. This compromised the safety of both people with mobility difficulties and people's exit routes in the event of an untoward incident.

"They had requested for this to be addressed. However, to date no action had been taken.

"One of the areas of the service was littered with rubbish and decaying food. We noted that there was a strong unpleasant odour within this area.

"Due to an additional issue with the home's central heating the floor had also become uneven."

On trying the taps in two areas of the house inspectors found there was no hot water and were told by staff this had been the case for 12 months.

Staff also reported telephone lines having been cut off for 'a good few weeks' and only intermittent broadband, which had reportedly 'really affected' residents.

Inspectors also found that not all staff had undergone security checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Medication storage temperatures were unrecorded and there was no record of whether medication was in date, with one resident missing their medication on a day out.

Inspectors said: "Throughout our visit we saw people were treated in a caring and kind way. The staff were friendly, polite and respectful."

But they added: "The manager carried out an exercise to identify levels of stress within the team. There were staff members scoring high and at risk of stress related issues.

"The manager had not followed up this feedback. No action had been taken to mitigate the risks associated with staff wellbeing."

Insolvency firm BDO has been appointed as a joint administrator to take over management of the home and is trying to sell it as a going concern.

Partner Danny Dartnaill said: "Since our appointment in January, we and our appointed managers Careport have continued to work hard to improve the quality of care received by all residents. We have been in close liaison with the CQC and will remain so throughout the duration of the administration.

"We remain hopeful of securing a sale of the home as a going concern in a relatively short timeframe.

"In the interim, the priority of the joint administrators and Careport is to ensure the provision of uninterrupted and high quality care to residents."