A NURSING home in Reading which left vulnerable people unsupervised for unsuitable periods of time has been told it needs to make improvements.

Jasmine House Nursing Home, in Westcote Road, had an unannounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on November 18, following concerns received. They found that the home now 'requires improvement'.

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The home provides personal care, accommodation and nursing care to up to 79 people, some of whom are living with dementia.

Inspectors found during the visit that there were no personal fire evacuation plans for people and no overall evacuation plan for the home.

It was also noted in the report that staff were not deployed in effective ways.

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The report says: "We observed that several people were left without stimulation or engagement for extended periods.

"One person identified as being at risk of choking was left unsupervised in a communal lounge."

Inspectors also found that systems of managing people's medicines were not always safe: "We observed that although people's medicines were kept in locked cupboards, the door to the medicines storage room had been left unlocked for extended periods.

"The registered manager told us they completed audits of people's medicines administration records but these audits had not been recorded."

As well as this, the report found that referrals to health professionals were not always made appropriately, and that the home was dimly lit in several areas.

It was noted that people were not always supported to have 'maximum choice and control of their lives' and that 'staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests'.

Some of the people in the home had told inspectors that they did not feel that staff were caring.

The last rating for the service was 'Good', following an inspection in 2017.

Inspectors said: "We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will also request an action plan.

"We will work with the local authority to monitor progress.

"We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme."

Jasmine House Nursing Home has been contacted for comment.