Staff shortages and recruitment challenges have hit a Woodbridge care home, which is working to make improvements after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.

The inspection of Haughgate House in Haugh Lane prompted a drop in the CQC rating, from Good in March 2019 to Requires Improvement in November 2021.

The report stated that the service, run by Healthcare Homes, had experienced high staff turnover and difficulty recruiting care staff and nurses.

Some safety measures were found to be lacking, with the inspector highlighting risk from "scalding hot radiators" and "ineffective cleaning regimes" meaning protection from the spread of infection was not sufficient.

The report notes that inspectors "found no evidence that people had been harmed, but systems were either not in place or robust enough in the management of risk to demonstrate risks to people's safety was effectively managed".

Areas for improvement were identified and shared with the provider.

A spokesman for Healthcare Homes said: "The care and safety of our residents is always our first priority and we take the feedback from the Care Quality Commission very seriously. As an operator with an excellent track record in care quality we were disappointed that on this occasion our own high standards were not met.

"In the six weeks since this inspection took place we have been working hard with the CQC and others to make the necessary changes.

"We have put a service improvement plan in place; revisited the care plans and risk assessments that ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents; carried out additional training where required and appointed a new home manager and deputy.

"Our staffing levels are good notwithstanding the current recruitment difficulties that are being experienced right across the care sector.

"It is inevitable in the current climate that we need to work with agency nurses and carers alongside our own committed and loyal team but we have taken a number of measures to increase staff retention and attract new staff.

"We are enormously proud of the hard work and commitment of the teams across all of our homes who have delivered amazing care to residents through an extended period of very challenging conditions caused by successive waves of the Covid epidemic and significant structural challenge in the care sector in the form of major staff shortages and recruitment challenges."