AN INQUIRY launched after the deaths of five elderly people at a scandal-hit care home has called for a raft of changes to put a stop to “institutionalised abuse.”

The Serious Case Review began after inquest last year found serious failings at the now-defunct Orchid View, labelled “Britain’s worst care home.”

West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield heavily criticised the quality of care at the Southern Cross-run home in Copthorne and noted a lack of respect for the dignity of residents, poor nutrition and hydration, mismanagement of medication and too few lack of staff.

Call bells were often not answered for long periods or could not be reached and the home was deemed “an accident waiting to happen.”

Among the review’s 34 recommendations is a call for care businesses to prove to regulators that they can recruit and sustain a trained and skilled workforce.