A Greenwich care home has been given the worst possible rating after residents were reportedly left in bed for hours with no fluids in reach.

The Oaks care home in New Eltham was rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in a report published last month.

The inspector said in their report that many residents at the care home did not have any drinks within their reach.

They added that one person had fluids in reach but had not drunk anything by 1.30pm, and could not remember when they last drank something when asked by a nurse.

The report said: “We saw several other people who did not have any drink within reach and fluid charts showed they were often not meeting their fluid targets.

"The failure to ensure people’s fluids were managed in line with their assessed needs placed people at risk of dehydration and ill-health.”

Call bells in the care home were also reportedly out of reach for many people.

The report said care plans for residents had conflicting information about people’s ability to use call bells to ask for help when needed.

The inspector said: “When people used their call bell staff did not always respond immediately. We observed several staff disregarding the call bell during the inspection when someone needed assistance. A relative also told us, ‘There was a time we pressed the buzzer and it took them an hour to come’.”

A spokesperson for The Oaks said the care home was deeply disappointed by the report and care had not always met the high standards it aims for.

They said a lot of effort had been made to improve the service since a new operator had taken over in late 2021.

The report said the risk of residents developing pressure sores had not been adequately mitigated.

It said that many people were at increased risk due to complex health needs and low mobility.

The inspector added: “Many people required staff to reposition them at regular intervals to reduce the risk of skin breakdown, but this was not happening and people were spending many hours in bed with no record of being supported to change position.

"This placed people at risk of developing pressure ulcers.”

A spokesperson for the home told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The new manager is working closely with our service users, staff, relatives, commissioners, CQC – who receive ongoing updates – and other partners to improve quality at the service and we believe we have made significant progress since the CQC inspection.”

They added: “We would particularly like to thank the relatives of our service users and the Royal Borough of Greenwich for their continued support and expressions of confidence over the last few months.”

The Oaks provides nursing care for up to 113 people, with 90 people using the service at the time of the inspection.

The service provides support for older people, those living with dementia and individuals with mental health needs.