BOSSES at a care home which has been rated inadequate have spoken of their gruelling battle during the pandemic and heartbreak at losing residents.

Staff at Moorings Nursing Home say they wouldn’t wish the challenge on their “worst enemy”, having endured an outbreak at the site on Thorney Bay Road, Canvey, in December.

A spokesman at the home has described the traumatic experience, saying staff have been reduced to tears after losing people they’ve looked after for years - with everything they were doing not seeming to help.

It comes after a damning report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which rated the home inadequate.

The report, published on Wednesday, revealed how a stained urine bottle had been left out and found with flies alive inside. There were also multiple toilet brushes which continued to hold faecal matter.

It also read: “A member of staff confirmed to us on December 11, 2020, they had tested positive for Covid after being tested at another registered premises on December 8. They also confirmed they had been to the service during this period, demonstrating they had not self isolated in line with national guidelines, until the result was known.”

An area manager from the care home, said: “We had Covid in the building which we think was the new variant. It spread through quite quickly.

“It truly was a horrible time for all the staff and relatives concerned. Once it gets into a care home, unfortunately it wipes a lot of people out.

“I don’t think people understand what it’s like. I cried when I walked in the building.”

Hazardous waste bins were not available to staff, people or visitors within the service to safely dispose of used PPE. This included people’s bedrooms where people were Covid positive. This meant any used and contaminated PPE would need to be disposed of in other bins around the service, increasing the risk of cross contamination.

And staff did not always recognise potential abuse.

The care home spokesperson added: “Like a lot of other homes, things slowed because of the crisis. Upkeep was difficult, we were short staffed so cleaning didn’t get what it needed to. We were between a rock and a hard place, we tried to do our best.

“We have deep cleaned everywhere and had a cleaning company in to completely blitz the place. We are now Covid-free and all our staff are now back on board. We have addressed absolutely everything in the report.”

The inspection was held on December 3 and 4, 2020.