A CARE home failed to record bruises and minor injuries and provide evidence of investigations, a watchdog said today.

The Care Quality Commission gave Faringdon’s Coxwell Hall Nursing Home and Mews a deadline to make improvements, which it said it was met.

The watchdog - the Government’s official care regulator - said it found “serious failings” in an unannounced April visit to the Fernham Road home.

The home cares for 66 people, including those paid for by Oxfordshire County Council.

It found Sovereign (Coxwell Hall) Limited was failing to meet the government’s essential standard over protecting OAPs from abuse.

A spokesman said: “The reasons for minor injuries and bruising had not always been recorded, and there was not always evidence that any investigation had taken place to establish the cause of the minor injury or bruise.”

Deputy CQC director in the South Ian Biggs said: “People who live in nursing homes are very vulnerable, and it is very disappointing that the home was not taking the right steps to make sure that their residents were being adequately protected from the risk of abuse.

”Since these serious failings were identified, inspectors have returned to check that Coxwell Hall Nursing Home and Mews had made the required improvements.

“They were pleased to note that, thanks to our intervention, they had been made.”

Yet the firm said its procedures were the same in April as they were during a CQC visit in September which it passed.

The home has “comprehensive safeguarding policies” it said.

A spokesman said: “We have highlighted to CQC major inaccuracies in its investigation which have led to erroneous findings.

“Unfortunately, CQC has refused to accept that it has misunderstood important facts.

“Unfortunately we are prevented from going into detail for reasons of confidentiality.”