The inquiry has been launched following the decision by the owners of Roselawns in Reading to close down.

The closure came after the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) threatened to remove the home's licence following an inquiry into complaints from residents.

Reading Primary Care Trust now hopes to examine every death at the home over the past three years to establish whether any were caused by neglect.

The trust is acting on behalf of the NCSC, the officers of which reported residents to be living in unsanitary conditions.

Alderney Healthcare, the directors of the home in Westcote Road, voluntarily closed and withdrew their care licence on Thursday, 6 March.

Following that 22 elderly residents had to be moved into new accommodation at only two days notice.

A spokesman for Alderney said they had no idea why recent deaths were being investigated in the context of the closure of the home but that they intended to co-operate fully with the appropriate authorities.