A care home has come under fire after staff did not realise a vulnerable patient had gone missing.

The health watchdog said workers at Kenton House, which costs up to £976 a week, were at risk of extreme tiredness due to staff shortages and had worked up to 81 hours in just one week.

The care home in Draycott Avenue, Kenton, was rated 'requires improvement' - the second lowest of four ratings - by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after the inspection in August.

The report found multiple regulations had been broken.

The home did not have a registered manager and the number of staff on duty had recently been cut from three to two.

Staff said they felt there were not enough carers to make sure people were safe and get the care they needed during some shifts.

The report said a patient had recently left the home at night while only two workers were on duty. They were helping a patient on the first floor, meaning the ground floor had been left unattended.

Inspectors said some staff had worked a “significant number of hours” in July and August, including one person who had worked 81 hours in one week and another who had worked 73.5 hours.

Some staff had worked afternoon and night shifts back-to-back, and one person had worked a 13.5-hour day shift with an 11.5-hour night shift straight after.

The report said: “There was no indication that people were harmed but staff were at risk of being excessively tired, which could have an impact on people’s care and safety.” 

Patients said they felt safe at the home and that it had a “nice atmosphere" while relatives said they felt satisfied by the care.

The care home was previously rated 'good' - the second highest rating - in 2018. The downgrade means it will be monitored by the CQC who will request an action plan for improvements.

A spokesperson for provider Abbeyfield Society said the CQC result was "disappointing and not of the standard we expect for our homes".

They added: "We are pleased to have been recognised as offering a good service in overall care and responsiveness to our residents, however acknowledge that we must make some improvements in other categories."

They said they were "liaising closely with the CQC".

"We are working very hard to deliver the high standard of service our residents and their families expect.”