Concerns have been raised about Royal United Hospital staffing and patient records because staff did not know how much vulnerable patients drank and one was left in a soiled bed for 10 minutes.

An independent inspection was carried out by the Care Quality Commission on four older people’s wards in June, as a follow-up to concerns raised in an inspection at the Bath hospital in February.

Its new report, published last month, was considered by Wiltshire Council’s Health Select Committee on Tuesday.

The CQC said the RUH did not meet standards in respecting and involving patients; care and welfare; safeguarding from abuse; and monitoring quality of service and records. It did meet the standard for co-operating with other providers.

The report said two of the wards had suitable arrangements to ensure privacy, dignity and independence, but the other two did not.

On CQC inspectors being alerted to a patient in a soiled bed, it said: “We observed the patient waited 10 minutes in this odorous, soiled bed, before staff came to help them. The call bell was not accessible to this patient.”

Inspectors found three of four wards had systems to check care needs were being delivered, but these were not used in a consistent way.

They examined 100 fluid balance charts and found 90 were not filled in daily, even for patients with infections or difficulty in drinking.

Cllr John Noeken, vice-chair of the committee, called the report a “grave disappointment” while Cllr Dr Helena McKeown said the RUH was “drowning in policies.”

RUH chief executive James Scott said £750,000 had been spent this year on more nurses and the ratio of nursing staff to patients was “fine.”

Helen Blanchard, director of nursing at the RUH since August, said training had been carried out and funding would allow sisters time to oversee staff and patients.

The CQC returns on December 4 and has a meeting for patients to air views at County Hall, the next day at 6.30pm.