A BASINGSTOKE care home has come under fire for putting residents’ safety “at risk”.

Basingfield Court residential care home, in Huish Lane, Old Basing, was rated as “requires improvement after a recent inspection.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said that during the unannounced visit on April 3 and 4 they found there were a number of risks to residents’ safety.

In their findings inspectors said that people at the home run by Sanctuary Care did not feel that there was sufficient staff deployed to support residents.

The report said: “Some people’s relatives gave examples of when they felt their loved one was not safe, for example, during the recent failure of the hot water system, which had now been rectified for people.”

It added: “The service was not safe because people were not protected against the risks associated with medicines.”

The care home was given “inadequate” for the safety procedures, with one patient saying they sometimes have to wait “up to 20 minutes” for staff.

However, the Old Basing care home was praised for the level of care it provided with inspectors noting that “people were consulted about decisions in relation to their care” and “people were treated with dignity and respect by staff.”

Stephen Rees, director of care operations for Sanctuary Care, said: “We are working tirelessly to establish sustained improvements and have taken a variety of actions to put things right.

“This includes successfully recruiting new permanent team members, implementing additional training and a full review of our key care documents.

“Our clear expectation is that we deliver high quality care which is centred on our residents and founded on kindness, safety and respect – we remain wholeheartedly committed to achieving this.”