ELDERLY people suffering from dementia and other medical conditions are to be removed from a Shipley care home due to "serious concerns" over the way it is being run.

Ivy House Nursing Home in Hollin Wood Close failed a surprise inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in April with the owners of the 40-bed home being told to make sweeping improvements.

A subsequent report in May stated that inspectors had found evidence of violence between residents, others were discovered to be heavily unshaven, unkempt and with long, dirty fingernails.

Ivy House failed each of the following official criteria on at least one count:

*Treating people with respect and involving them in their care

*Overall Providing care, treatment and support that meets people's needs

*Overall Caring for people safely and protecting them from harm

*Overall Staffing

*Overall Quality and suitability of management

And a further inspection last month has now prompted Bradford Council and other authorities to assign social care specialists to closely monitor the 21 residents until they can be suitably re-homed in the New Year.

Jayne Hellowell, Service Manager Commissioning (Adult & Housing-related Support), said: "We are aware of the issues surrounding this nursing home and have been working very closely with the NHS, Leeds City Council and the Care Quality Commission to act in the best interests of the 21 residents.

"We have all had serious concerns over the running of Ivy House and made a decision last Friday to move residents out of the home by mid-January.

"This is to avoid any disruption over the Christmas period.

"Meanwhile we have a rota of staff to monitor the home over the Christmas period."

Findings in the Care Quality Commission's May report included an "unwitnessed incident" between two people living at the home that resulted in one being punched in the nose.

Inspectors also saw people wearing stained clothing and dirty slippers, while many men had not been shaved.

"We saw three people exposing their bottoms because they were wearing trousers that were too big for them," the report said.

It added that two lampshades in a bedroom were about a third full of dead flies and moths.

The report noted there were not enough trained staff to deal with the needs of the 28 people then staying at Ivy House:

A spokesman for the CQC said: "We are currently working with the local authorities concerned to remove and relocate residents by January 19 having been back to Ivy House in November and there being serious concerns which still remain."

Ivy House is owned and run by P&C Care Ltd, based in Shipley, which secured a multimillion-pound funding package involving NatWest Bank to buy Ivy House and The Mount Nursing Home in Bolton, Bradford - where management and residents' welfare are not of concern.

In a statement, Patrick Berry, Director of Nursing at P&C, said: "Prior to the redevelopment, Ivy House has agreed to continue provision of services until suitable alternatives for our specialist niche client group can be found".