THE care home at the centre of an alleged cover-up over a resident's death has been rated "inadequate" by a watchdog.

Lever Edge Care Home in Lever Edge Lane, Great Lever, received the worst rating by the Care Quality Commission and was placed in special measures following a re-inspection that took place just months after the business was given a "good" rating.

Chesterfield-based Hill Care, which runs the home, said it was "extremely disappointed" with the outcome and hoped to be re-inspected soon.

Five female employees have appeared in court over the alleged cover-up which involved placing a dead man back in bed, falsifying records and withholding the death from the authorities.

The summary of the CQC report said: "This inspection took place on November 12, 2015, and an inspection report was initially published with a ‘good rating’.

"This report was suppressed following an incident involving a police investigation that raised concerns about documentation falsification. This meant the information relied upon on the previous inspection day was inaccurate. We therefore returned to the home on February 9, 2016.

"This report includes information from the inspection in November 2015 and a further inspection day in February 2016, at which we reviewed certain aspects of the care provided in detail in response to the information that had been brought to our attention."

Lever Edge Care Home is a purpose-built private residential home with space for 78 residents that also offers dementia care.

Inspectors judged the business as "inadequate" in the areas of safety, effectiveness and leadership and deems it "requires improvement" in the areas of care and responsiveness.

The report says: "There were a significant number of occasions when there were not sufficient numbers of experienced and suitably trained staff on duty to support people safely and effectively. A significant number of training records had been falsified, meaning that many staff did not have the correct skills and knowledge to carry out their duties effectively. People did not always receive their medicines in a correct and timely way."

Inspectors found residents were placed at risk because identified issues were not followed up with other health and care professionals.

Some clients' care records and paperwork concerning the business' own internal quality checks were incomplete and the proper applications for authorisation to deprive people of their liberty for their own safety had not been made.

Residents told the CQC they were happy and felt safe and they liked the food and received enough to eat and drink.

Employees raised concerns with the watchdog's team about staff shortages and the inspectors agreed there was sometimes inappropriate cover at night time.

The CQC added: "The overall rating for this provider is 'inadequate'. This means that it has been placed into special measures by CQC."

Hill Care said in a statement: "The Lever Edge management and care home teams are extremely disappointed by the recent report of the Care Quality Commission. This reflects a specific incident to which our management team has responded rapidly and effectively to ensure the continued safety and comfort of our residents. We will continue to work closely with the Care Quality Commission and are committed to ensuring that Lever Edge care home regains its previously held ‘good’ rating at its next inspection. As such, we would welcome an early re-inspection date."

The criminal allegations concern the death of an 89-year-old resident. Five defendants each face a count of perverting the course of justice on January 9.

No pleas have been entered by care home manager Lynda Johnson, aged 63, of Calf Hey Close, Radcliffe; Deborah Scrivens, aged 43, of Hurstwood, Sharples; Michelle Gilman, aged 45, of Moorby Walk, Great Lever; Danielle Menzies, aged 22, of Glenbrook Gardens, Farnworth, and Michelle Hayes, aged 49, of Woodvale Avenue, Great Lever, and an application to dismiss the case will be heard on September 12.