A CARE home has been placed into special measures after inspectors found it was riddled with flies, while a resident who needed a sugar-free diet was fed cake and ice cream.

Victoria House in Grappenhall has been rated as inadequate by the Care Quality Commission following an unannounced inspection in July, and is now in special measures.

The CQC has stopped the Victoria Road home from admitting new residents due to its 'repeated and serious failures'.

Inspectors found 'continued' concerns over the cleanliness of Victoria House, which had previously been ordered to improve following an inspection in March.

Flooring within the building was described as 'sticky and in need of cleaning', while a 'strong malodour' was present in two residents' bedrooms and a bathroom was also unclean.

Inspectors found a 'significant number of flies throughout the building' on the day of the inspection, particularly in the home's conservatory.

Victoria House's manager told the CQC that this was caused by guinea pig cages which were due to be moved.

The CQC found that residents, some of whom have dementia, were 'at risk of harm and neglect'.

One diabetic resident, who required a sugar-free diet, was seen eating cake after being offered it by a staff member while records showed that they had regularly been given foods including ice cream, biscuits and yoghurt.

Another, who required fluids every hour and was reliant on the home's staff for all her care needs, was not offered fluids for at least two-and-a-half hours on the day of inspection while care plans showed that the last time she had had a drink was more than 16 hours earlier.

Meanwhile, one resident had lost a 'significant amount of weight' in the three months prior to the CQC's visit.

Inspectors noted that some residents were 'unclean and unkempt', while people living in the home reported waits of around half-an-hour for assistance after pressing call bells.

A number of safeguarding incidents had not been reported to the CQC, whose inspectors described Victoria House as 'not safe'.

The CQC also found that there was a lack of activities for residents, who had 'little to occupy themselves'.

Six breaches of healthcare regulations had been found during the inspection in March, but these had not been addressed and further violations were found.

If no improvements are found within the next year the CQC could close the home, which had 20 people living in it at the time of inspection.

Victoria House, which is run by WH Investments Limited, has not responded to a request for comment from the Warrington Guardian.

In a report into the home, the CQC said: “Following this inspection, we have imposed a condition on the provider’s registration which states that they may not admit people to this home without prior written permission from the CQC.

“We are also taking further action against the provider for repeated and serious failures to meet the regulations.

“This service will continue to be kept under review and, if needed, could be escalated to urgent enforcement action.”