Infection and neglect found at care homes in southern England
A used incontinence pad, a 40-minute wait for a toilet trip and an infection outbreak were among problems uncovered at care homes in southern England.
More than half of the 65 adult social care services inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) were rated as inadequate or requiring improvement.
Inspectors at one care home in Devon said safeguarding concerns there "amounted to institutional neglect".
Twenty-seven out of the 65 services were rated "good" by the watchdog.
Strong urine odour
Inspectors made unannounced visits to care homes and agencies that deal with patients ranging from young adults with Asperger's Syndrome to elderly people with dementia.
Angela Court in Devon had a "strong smell of urine" in the lounge during three inspection visits - which had been dealt with - but inspectors also raised concerns over some of the elderly residents who were in communal areas "without being properly dressed".
A multi-agency safeguarding meeting in January had concluded concerns there "amounted to institutional neglect".
At Amerind Grove Nursing Home in Bristol inspectors saw in one bathroom "a used continence pad discarded on the floor".
At Fairways Residential Care Home in Bournemouth, "people's bed rails were not fitted correctly" and one resident who had asked to be taken to the toilet was still left in the lounge 40 minutes later.
At Priory Rookery in Hove the service was shown to be caring but that a "recent outbreak of an infectious disease" showed inconsistent infection control.
Residents at Angelus care home in Portsmouth were at risk of "malnutrition and dehydration" because of inadequate health and weight checks.
Other services rated as inadequate were:
- Freegrove Care Home in Hampshire
- Manor Gardens in East Sussex
- Mulberry Care Ltd in Berkshire
- Nightingale Homecare and Community Support Services in Kent
- Summerlea House Nursing Home in West Sussex
Adrian Hughes, CQC deputy chief inspector, said: "Whenever we find a service to be inadequate, we will consider taking further action on behalf of the people who use the service".