AN INVESTIGATION is underway at a Wraxall care home after two staff members were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a resident.

The issue came to light when a complaint was made to Shaw Healthcare, the owners of The Granary Dementia Care Centre in Lodge Lane, by family members of a resident.

It is understood hidden cameras had recorded footage of the two men abusing their relative.

After receiving the complaint, Shaw Healthcare immediately reported the issue to the police and other relevant agencies and a joint investigation was launched.

The staff members, who were arrested on suspicion of assault and neglect, have since been suspended and have been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Detective Inspector Mark Coleman said: “We are working with our multi-agency partners to look into concerns raised about the care of an elderly resident at a care home in Wraxall, North Somerset. Officers from the Public Protection Team are working closely with North Somerset Council’s adult social services.”

A North Somerset Council spokesman said: “We are working closely with Avon and Somerset Police, the CQC and Shaw Healthcare following concerns raised about the treatment of a resident at The Granary residential and nursing home in Wraxall.

“The Granary, which is run by Shaw Healthcare, provides care and support for up to 60 people with dementia.

“Our priority remains the wellbeing of the residents who live there and we will be monitoring the home closely during the investigation.”

Shaw Healthcare has held meetings with the families of other residents at the home, which provides dementia, nursing, residential and respite care for people aged 65 and over, to keep them informed about the investigation.

In June last year, The Granary was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and was told it needed to make improvements in certain areas.

This included the standard which expects residents to be receiving safe and appropriate care and one which expects residents to be protected from abuse and for staff to respect their human rights. However, the inspectors did find the home was meeting the standards required for treating people with respect and involving them in their care as well as standards for staffing.

The home is now awaiting an updated CQC report following a more recent inspection.

A Shaw Healthcare spokesman said: “Following a meeting with a family member when we were recently made aware of incidents of poor care relating to a resident at one of our care homes, we immediately referred the matter to the police and informed all relevant local authority teams.

“Members of staff connected to the incident have since been suspended, pending the outcome of a police and our own investigation.

“We acknowledge the anxiety and distress that this has caused the resident and their family and we also wanted to have the opportunity to reassure the other residents and families so have held meetings to update them on the situation and let them know that we are taking the matter extremely seriously.

“A previous CQC inspection of The Granary highlighted some areas for improvement, which resulted in us implementing an internal action plan to remedy the issues raised, although they are unrelated to the current situation.

“It is not appropriate for us to comment further while the investigation is underway.”