A HOSPITAL specialising in caring for patients with learning disabilities and autism has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Chesterholme, operated by the Cygnet Healthcare which also ran Whorlton Hall, in County Durham, which was closed after video footage in a BBC undercover investigaion revealed evidence of abusive treatment of vulnerable patients by staff, received the rating from CQC inspectors who visited in May.

The report revealed staff were unsure which policies were relevant, risk assesments weren't updated regularly and medication for use in emergencies following rapid tranquilisation were not kept on site.

Inspectors, however, did report that the environment for patients was clean and staff were largely positive as they interacted with people.

A spokeswoman for Cygnet Healthcare said: “We acknowledge the findings of the CQC’s report on Cygnet Chesterholme, part of the Danshell Group, which we recently acquired and we are investing significant resources to further enhance the infrastructure and management capability across the Group’s facilities.

“Following the CQC’s inspection in May, we took immediate and significant steps to address the issues raised, though we were heartened that the CQC rated the caring and responsive aspects of our service as good and noted positive staff interactions.

“The safety and wellbeing of the people who use our services is of paramount importance. We remain committed to acting upon the report’s recommendations and working closely with the CQC to ensure we provide the highest standard and quality of care that our service users expect and deserve.”