AN Old Trafford care home for people with mental health needs, has been criticised by an inspector for its lack of staff, a charge rejected by it's owner.

The report by the Care Quality Commission at Clifton House, Ayres Road, found the facility which provides accommodation for up to 32 people was substandard in three key areas out of six.

Deepdene Care, the owner's of Clifton House, repudiated the claims, with its spokesman saying: "To date none of the six different local authorities which are regularly visiting the home and referring residents into Clifton House have expressed any concern over resident safety and wellbeing.

"The highly subjective manner in which care services are now being inspected

combined with constantly changing inspection methodologies and inspectors

highlights again the chaos within the regulator and only serves to provide

further confusion to the general public."

The CQC inspection to check that essential standards of quality and safety were being met, revealed that staff caring for people's needs complained that 'staffing levels were insufficient to meet people's needs'.

Staff often had to attend to emergencies involving behavioural issues which led to understaffing and 'putting people who used the service and staff at risk'.

In another key area of respecting and involving people who use Clifton, the inspector said there was insufficient evidence to show that Deepdene was encouraging and working with residents to assist them in gaining life skills and making them more independent.

Clifton also came in for criticism in assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision with minutes of meetings, being described as 'too vague'.

The three other key areas, namely the care and welfare of residents, safeguarding people from abuse and the safety and suitability of the premises, were all measured as coming up to standard.

Four service users spoken to at Clifton told the inspector they were very happy with the staff and the treatment provided.

Deepdene Care spokesman added: "We are very surprised and disappointed with the latest inspection findings by CQC at Clifton House, given the previous inspection carried out only a year earlier, found that the service was fully compliant in all areas.

"The dedicated staff team and manager work tirelessly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the residents are paramount.

"As a provider with over 25 years experience in caring for people with severe and challenging mental health conditions we are constantly reviewing our systems and processes to ensure best practice, which includes consulting with all stakeholders."