Two care homes have been branded “inadequate“ with one plunged into special measures and the other remaining under the same level of scrutiny following inspections
For the White House care home in Chatham it’s the third time it has received the damning rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
It was found to have “seriously deteriorated” and urgent conditions had been imposed, banning it from taking on new residents without express permission from the health and social care watchdog.
Among its observations were “unexplained bruising”, “a strong smell of urine” and people left wet or soiled for long periods.
A hot drink had also been thrown on one person but it hadn’t been raised as a safeguarding concerns.
The latest inspection was prompted by reports of an incident in which somebody sustained a “significant injury”.
Amy Jupp, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, said: “Our inspection found serious failures in leadership and management of the service that put people at avoidable risk of harm.
We saw unexplained bruising and injuries to people who couldn’t verbally communicate…
“Leaders were aware of significant shortfalls in care quality, management and monitoring for months but failed to act, which had a detrimental impact on people’s safety.
“Safeguarding systems were ineffective. We saw unexplained bruising and injuries to people who couldn’t verbally communicate, yet these weren’t consistently investigated or reported.
“Managers were also unable to explain why safeguarding issues raised by health professionals hadn’t been investigated.”
Ms Jupp added there was inadequate staff training, guidance and supervision, and residents’ health care put them at risk of severe pain or hospital treatment.
The environment was described as “unsafe and undignified” with some having no hot water in their en-suites and poor lighting.
The manager at the home in Maidstone Road, which has 18 residents living with dementia and people with a physical disability, has been approached for comment.
Meanwhile in Maidstone, The Vale Residential Care Home received the same poor rating after an inspection.
The visit came about following reports of safeguarding issues.
Inspectors found leaders at the nursing home, which supports elderly people with dementia, “didn’t have a grip on the issues that were putting people at risk”.
There was a “closed culture where staff were not comfortable raising concerns and safeguarding incidents went unreported for months.
Ms Jupp added: ”This had a real impact on people’s daily lives.
“We saw staff gesture at one resident to be quiet when they tried to communicate, which isn’t acceptable for someone who has every right to express themselves.
“One relative also told us they’d found a needle cover on their loved one’s clothing.”
Staff gave one resident at high risk of choking large antibiotic capsules, several areas smelled strongly of urine, and some shared rooms with only a curtain between them, giving “no privacy or dignity”.
Medical seizures were not recorded as incidents and serious problems went unaddressed when safeguarding concerns were not raised at the time.
Concerns were also raised regarding epilepsy management and skin care integrity.
We know that there is lots of work to be done…
A spokesperson from The Vale said: “We are obviously very disappointed at the findings of the CQC Inspection which took place in October 2025.
“All safeguarding concerns raised by a core of staff were found to be unfounded by the police and our own internal investigations; the local authority was also involved and found there to be no abuse.
“That said, there was conflict within the staff team that had not been addressed and this escalated into false allegations being made.
“A lack of leadership and management resulted in situations not being managed well and our policies and procedures not being followed correctly.
“We know that there is lots of work to be done at The Vale, however, we will strive to achieve this in order we rebuild confidence in our services by families and the authorities involved.
“We are confident that positive changes are being implemented.”
The home also confirmed a new acting manager was in place and the previous manager and some staff are no longer on their roll.
It was previously subject to plans to be converted into new flats – with an application to vary a condition to allow ground floor apartments only to be required approved by Maidstone council last week.
Both reports are due to be published on the CQC website shortly.
