CARE services at Ryfields Retirement Village have been ordered to improve after inspectors found errors in dispensing medicine and failures in reporting safeguarding incidents.

The Care Quality Commission have rated the support given at the Orford retirement village as requiring improvement after an inspection in May.

More than 270 people live at the Arena Gardens village, with wellbeing support and emergency respond provided to all residents with 40-60 of them receiving personal care.

Inspectors found there had been 35 errors in medication dispensing since October, including missed and incorrect dosages and the depletion of stock, while Ryfields had failed to notify the Care Quality Commission of its 16 safeguarding incident in the last 12 months.

Residents reported that they did not always receive a continuity of care as they received support from different staff while there were gaps in employee training on topics including the awareness of mental health, dementia and learning disabilities.

Staff spoken to expressed concerns over leadership, staffing levels and low morale at the home, although a report following the inspection noted that the chief executive and management team had made ‘significant efforts to communicate, engage, support and manage staff’.

When it was purpose built in 2002, Ryfields was one of the first care schemes in the country that was developed to allow older people to live in their own flats or bungalows in a community environment with support on hand.

Warrington Community Living took over the care and support service at Ryfields in October, and the charity’s chief executive said that it had required ‘considerable’ improvement.

Michael Sheppard added: “It was immediately apparent to us that the existing service required considerable improvement and with a new management team we have been working with the residents and the support team that we inherited from the previous provider to bring in the necessary changes to achieve that.

“This type of change takes time but we are pleased that the inspection the Care Quality Commission undertook in May recognised that we were on top of the issues and that we had all of the correct plans in place to achieve the necessary improvement, many of which are now well underway.

“We look forward to this being a good service at the next inspection and with further development time we intend to make it outstanding for the residents who live there.”

But the Care Quality Commission’s report was praised staff at the retirement village.

It said: “People told us that staff were generally polite and attentive in the way they undertook their duties – people were keen to emphasise the benefits of receiving individualised support at Ryfields Retirement Village.

“People also highlighted how the service had helped them to feel secure, maintain their wellbeing, preferred lifestyle and identity within a community setting.”