Snowdrop House care home, Ware, Hertfordshire, has been told it needs to improve following its first inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The house opened in 2017 and received a ‘requires improvement’ after inspectors found the business was not always safe and led well by staff.

The CQC report, published in July, rated three of the five categories as ‘good’, but said there were several areas where staff and management were lacking.

Inspectors noted ‘mixed reviews’ from staff when it came to numbers, with one admitting shifts are hard when people aren’t in.

It also emerged from the report that residents on the ground floor were tended to promptly, but those on the first floor have to wait longer.

The report also highlighted the home’s management as an area for improvement after staff and relatives gave a mixed response about the home’s leadership.

On the home’s lack of teamwork, the report notes: “We found the staff team were still developing and newly employed staff members were constantly scheduled to start. This was because the home only opened in September 2017 and it was not at full capacity.

Therefore, the staff team had not yet had the time to get to know each other well and work as a team.”

A Care UK spokesperson said: “This is a new home and we accept that there is still room for improvement in some areas. We were please to see that the CQC inspectors found much to praise when they visited in May.”

The home has a capacity of 70 people, but currently look after 35 residents.