A report has criticised “intrusive” staff at a Cally care home.

At Muriel Street Resource Centre, an inspector witnessed a staff member lean over a sleeping patient and announce: “She is breathing.”

In another instance, a patient had locked a room from the inside. Staff immediately sought a master key rather than knock and ask for the door to be opened.

The care home, in Muriel Street, was given a “requires improvement” rating: third on a rank of four. It was given the same score in January last year.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, released on Monday last week, criticised the home’s leadership and responsiveness – though it was judged as safe and effective.

The home, run by Care UK, holds a maximum 63 people with physical disabilities, dementia and mental illness.

A spokesman said: “This report relates to an inspection made at the start of January and, while we recognise that progress hasn’t been as quick as we would like, we are confident that we are making progress in addressing the areas identified for improvement.

“We now have a much stronger team at Muriel Street that is fully committed to providing compassionate, person-centred care.”