A Kings Langley care home has been told it needs to improve after inspectors found it had not reported safeguarding concerns.
Bosses at Abbeyfield Friars Mead on Rockliffe Avenue did not always carry out "safe recruitment procedures" when hiring new staff, according to the recently published Care Quality Commission report.
Governance processes were also criticised, with the watchdog saying incidents and complaints were not collected for analysis, and the care home's own audits failed to identify issues found during the inspection.
The registered manager, Ricardo Da Silva Freitas, said it was working "constructively" with the CQC so that the report reflects "as fully and accurately as possible, the care we provide - and that work is continuing".
The care home, which housed 15 people during the inspection from February 26 to March 31, was rated 'requires improvement' on safety, effectiveness and well-led categories. Caring and responsive was rated 'good'.
Inspectors also praised staff for the quality of care provided, finding residents were supported by "kind staff" who "treated them as individuals". Staff also helped patients maintain their independence and people had regular access to GPs.
The report said: "People were supported by enough staff with appropriate training. We observed warm interactions and people told us they were treated with kindness.
"People told us staff sought consent before offering support."
'Friars Mead has been a much-loved home'
In response to the report, the manager said this was the care home's first assessment under the new single assessment framework.
He said: "Friars Mead has been a much-loved home in the heart of Kings Langley for more than thirty years, and the safety and wellbeing of the people who live with us is, and always will be, our priority."
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He added: "The home has been rated 'requires improvement' overall, and we were rated 'good' for being caring and 'good' for being responsive — the areas that speak most directly to how our residents are treated and supported every day."
He explained that he asked the CQC to review the report's findings, saying: "We believe some of the wording is broad and, without supporting detail, gives an impression more serious than the day-to-day reality our residents and their families experience."
'I am immensely proud of our team'
He reassured families that the residents are safe and well cared for - citing independent feedback which had a review score of 9.7 out of 10 on carehome.com.
He accepted the areas to improve and said work has already been done, adding: "We welcome scrutiny; it helps us keep getting better. And we would warmly invite anyone who would like to see the real Friars Mead to come and visit us.
"I am immensely proud of our team and the genuine care they give every single day."
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