A CARE home has lodged an official complaint after it was ordered to make improvements by a government watchdog.

The New Deanery in Bocking has been rated 'requires improvement' by the Care Quality Commission and bosses have been told to produce a report to show the action they plan to take to address concerns raised.

The home, which provides personal and nursing care for 68 people all aged 65 and over, was previously rated 'good' by the CQC after a previous visit in 2016.

Following the latest inspection on April 4, the CQC says the home's safety, responsiveness and how it is led requires improvement.

Inspectors rated the effectiveness of the service and level of care 'good'.

A report published on May 31 stated some residents said they felt "happy and safe" at the home and inspectors found nurses and carers to be "kind and compassionate". The home was also praised for providing the correct training and making staff feel valued and rewarded.

However, inspectors say not all residents were content with the service at the home and there were also concerns about the plans put in place throughout the facility.

The report states: "Some people were less positive about their experience of care, and we found this reflected the inconsistencies we found in the quality of care plans and risk assessments. Some risk assessments and care plans were less personalised, detailed and up to date and this meant there were risks that people did not always receive personalised care. Assessments did not consider the impact people's sexual and gender identity may have on their care.

"There were various different audit and quality assurance systems in place. These had not always operated effectively and had not identified the issues we found during the inspection with medicines information and the consistency of care plans. The provider had not submitted notifications to us as required by law."

Following the publication of the report, The New Deanery's chief executive, Julia Clinton, says she has lodged a complaint against the findings.

She said: "We are disappointed that the CQC has chosen to rate the home as requires improvement and have lodged a formal complaint about the conduct of the inspection.

"Despite this we remain fully committed to learning and continuous improvement, and have taken action to achieve compliance with all of CQC’s requirements and recommendations.

"We would draw peoples attention to the very many positive findings in the report."

The New Deanery was rebranded back in 2015, less than two years after it was bought by Sonnet Care Homes in November 2013.

The firm invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in a programme to overhaul care, equipment, facilities, decor and staff training.

It followed a period of controversy which came following a BBC Panorama investigation in 2014 which highlighted how three members of staff had abused a vulnerable resident.

Adeshola Adediwura, 33, Lorna Clark, 45, and Anita Ray, 47, all admitted one charge of assault and each were sentenced to four months in jail.