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A care home has been put in special measures after inspectors discovered rodent droppings in the kitchen and found evidence some residents were not getting their medication.

The review of Mary Fisher House, in Harrogate, by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) also found some rooms "smelt strongly of urine" and said parts of the building were unsafe.

The CQC said the inspection was carried out in February after concerns were raised about the service provided.

The home said it regretted that standards had "fallen below [those] expected of us".

Alison Chilton, from the CQC, said she was "extremely disappointed" at the standard of care.

"The management of medicines was unsafe, with doses being given late or not at all on some occasions," she said.

"Accidents and incidents weren't always recorded or examined to prevent repeat events, and parts of the premises weren't safe.

"We observed exposed light fittings and woodwork, which could have caused harm to people, and there were fire doors with large gaps underneath that were clearly unfit for purpose."

Other issues included staff shortages and concerns that infection prevention and control measures were inadequate.

However, inspectors said that staff were polite to the people they cared for and the home had received positive feedback from the residents' relatives.

Ms Chilton added that since the inspection in February the home had "taken steps to improve" and was working with the local council to address to "address the most serious risks".

In a statement the home said: “Areas for improvement were identified in the recent inspection and we are committed to working closely with the CQC and North Yorkshire County Council to ensure changes are made quickly to redress this situation.”

Rachel Bowes, North Yorkshire’s Assistant Director of Adult Social Care, said she was confident the management at MAry Fisher House "want to take swift and meaningful action to improve", adding "we fully intend to support them in that".

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