STAFF at a care home in Malmesbury told CQC inspectors they were 'gagged' from telling the truth about the service according to a damning report, which was released on Monday.

Residents living at Athelstan House Care Home, which is run by the Orders of St John Care Trust, have been exposed to serious risk of dehydration and malnutrition according to the report, which exposes inconsistent record keeping and inadequate levels of care.

The CQC report says that during the inspection, which took place across four days in May, 11 current members of staff approached the inspector to raise their concerns with one admitting that they have been "gagged not to say the truth" but that they would tell. Another said: "I go home and I cry. I do not feel I do a good job. I feel guilty because I cannot do things properly."

The serious breaches of care resulted in the CQC grading the care home, which cares for up to 80 people, Requires Improvement across the board.

Family members of those living in Athelstan House, who were forced to form a committee to challenge the management in November last year, say they have been left shocked by the report.

Group spokesman Anthony who has a relative in Athelstan House Care Home said: "We were quite shocked with that the CQC found. We knew there were problems but this report has revealed the true extent of that and it is neglect.

"We started to realise there were problems in the first month we started visiting and it got gradually worse but enough is enough now. In just 12 months, we have seen five different managers come and go and 31 permanent staff members have also left in that time.

"If you ask to see care plans, staff often get quite defensive about it but when you actually read them, they are very limited in what they tell you."

Assistant operations director Aaron Whitehead of the the Orders of St John Care Trust said: "We accept the findings of the report.

"Following on from the inspection and prior to the publication of this report, we appointed a new management team, both at Home Manager and Area Manager level, to address the concerns raised by the inspectors. We are working closely with the CQC to address all of the issues highlighted in their report in a timely fashion.

"Residents and their relatives have been reassured that their loved ones are safe and well cared for at Athelstan House and we encourage them to talk to the Home Manager at any time if they have any concerns."