Relatives of  people living in a care home branded "inadequate" by the CQC  have leapt to its defence.

They say care at Fairways, in Wharncliffe Road, Boscombe, is second to none. Fairways was slammed by the Care Quality Commission, following an inspection last August.

But residents and relatives have questioned the CQC's findings and said the report gives a false impression of the care home and its staff.

Inspectors said that the home was not safe, effective, caring, responsive or well-led at the point of their inspection, although they acknowledge they visited again in November and found it had improved.

Following the inspection, the home was temporarily prevented from accepting new residents, but this was lifted a few months later when care inspectors were satisfied improvements had been made.

Among the criticisms included in the August inspection were:

· Incorrectly fitted bed rails, placing residents at risk of becoming trapped.

· Medicine left unattended and a urine sample stored alongside medicines in the fridge.

· Rushed staff who did not always have time to spend with people.

· People's privacy and dignity were not always respected, including one example where a woman wearing a skirt was hoisted in an undignified manner in a communal area.

· Residents' care records were not always accurate and up-to-date.

But residents say they don't recognise the home they know from the report. 

Peter Miles, whose mother Ruth lives at Fairways, said: “We brought my mother in here last October having had bad experiences in two other homes.

“Immediately we knew the ambience was so much better here. The care, the cleanliness and the staff are just wonderful here. I had no concerns in October and I've had none since.

“Why does it take the CQC six months to publish a report when they have been back since?”

Marian Chapman credits Fairways staff with recognising that her father could be seriously ill and recommending blood tests. He died last June but Marian now has an aunt in Fairways.

“When my father was here, my sister and I were here for several hours every day and I never saw anything that concerned me,” she said. “Rest assured I am the type who would have complained if I had.

“They looked after him beautifully until the day he died. We were so impressed with the care that we brought aunt over from the Isle of Wight to be here.”

Peter Witham visits the home regularly to see his brother-in-law Jonathan Roberts. He said: My wife and I come away feeling refreshed that he's looked after so well. It's so free and easy here.

“The staff are very alert to his condition so he receives excellent care.”

Mark Daley moved his mother to Fairways from another care home. “She's only been here a month but it's just a world apart from where she was before,” he said. “It's so lovely; the care is 100 per cent.”

Janet Warren, whose mother Marie Alexander has been at Fairways since 2012, said: “The CQC report does not show Fairways as the home I know. They prioritise care at this home. My mother is in deep dementia and they've accommodated all her needs. The staff here are very affectionate.”

Bob Thompson, whose mother has been at the home for 18 months, said: “My mother could moan for England but she doesn't moan here. She's comfortable, warm, well-fed and the staff treat her nicely.

“The fact that someone found on a report that a box hadn't been ticked is irrelevant to me, what's important is that she's well looked after.”

June Necchi, whose mother Gwyneth is a resident, said: “Everyone here is treated as an individual, they understand each person, they know what they like and don't like and they allow them their privacy and dignity.

“There's an exceptional standard of care here.”

And Steve Marande, a daily visitor to the home since his mother Audrey moved in 18 months ago, said: “The staff are great, they leave me alone with my mother but I know they are in the background and will be there if I ever need any help.

“I can't speak highly enough of them. Whatever the administration problems might have been, whatever boxes may not have been ticked I think the staff are splendid.”

Adrian Hughes, CQC's deputy chief inspector of adult social care in the south, said: “Our report shows that staff in the home did interact well with the people living at Fairways Residential Care Home, but lack of staff numbers did mean that people felt they were not being treated with dignity or respect.

“The numbers of staff on duty and available at times meant that at times there were insufficient staff around to offer support.

“People using services have a right to expect and receive care which is of a high quality, compassionate and safe. Some of the examples we identified demonstrated that this was not always the case.”

He confirmed they had re-inspected last November and found that improvements had been made. That report, expected to be a good one, is expected to be published imminently.

Director Tracey Holland said many of the problems identified by the CQC inspectors were about incorrect paperwork rather than the care provided to residents.

She said the home was under the management of an experienced care home manager last August, who left immediately after the inspection.

“Everything they identified was then rectified and there have been no problems since, but we have to live with this awful report in the meantime,” she said.

“We have got 55 residents here at the moment and every week I speak to all the residents and relatives to check everybody is happy. I have no problem with anybody coming in here and seeing what we are all about because I know that report does not give a true picture of what we are about.”

Brian Langridge, from Adult Social Care contracting at Bournemouth Council, said they had seen “big improvements” at Fairways and were happy to fund residents to live there.