The current system of regulation and reporting incidents at care homes is inadequate, a campaigner believes.

Katie Warren set up the website WhereIsTheCare.co.uk to collect real-life experiences of elderly and vulnerable care in Essex.

Alleged mistreatment of patients at the Old Deanery, in Braintree, was exposed by undercover filming by BBC's Panorama.

Mrs Warren said: “Care homes are clearly not monitoring correctly - it is very sad that it seems the only time awareness is raised is when it is exposed through undercover filming.

“You can complain and complain but nobody is listening, so people feel they have nowhere else to go but whistleblowing.

“The public and carers shouldn’t have to go to these lengths to expose what is happening.

“Things are only going to change with the power of the public, because the CQC is not doing it.

“How can they do anything with one or two visits a year? The system doesn’t work.”