A CARE home where “unkempt” residents were not provided with enough food or toilet rolls will shut after being rated as inadequate by watchdogs.

Abbey Care Home, in North Road, Great Clacton, was put into special measures after Care Quality Commission inspectors discovered a catalogue of breaches.

Staff have now been told the home, run by Care One Ltd, will close after local authority funding was cut in the wake of the report.

The home, which supports up to 20 adults aged under 65 with mental health, learning or physical disabilities and dementia, was told to improve care or face having its registration cancelled.

The inspection was partly prompted due to concerns received from whistleblowers about poor care, staffing, lack of training and skilled staff, poor cleanliness and hygiene, lack of dignity, respect and quality of life for residents.

The report said: “We observed examples of institutionalised practice which was undignified and disrespectful.

“People had little control over their lives because there was a lack of opportunity to make choices about how to spend their day, when they had a shower, what to eat or when to go out.

“People were not valued and treated with dignity and respect, especially those people living with dementia or mental health needs.

“We found concerns raised prior to our inspection about poor practice were correct.”

A spokesman for Care One confirmed the home could be shut by the end of the month.

He said: “I think the CQC were unreasonable. People said negative and positive things about the home and they focused on the negative.

“A lot of the residents love living here – it’s their home.

“It is going to close because Essex County Council took a decision to withdraw its funding.

“We have run the home since 2007 and are very disappointed.”

Gazette:

Closing - Abbey Care Home in Great Clacton

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “Following concerns about the quality of care at Abbey Care Home and an inadequate CQC rating, Essex County Council have taken the decision to terminate contracts for the care of those residents we support.

“This will enable them to move to alternative accommodation which meets the residents’ individual needs and preferences.

“We will be working closely with the residents, families, and the providers to ensure the moves are as seamless as possible, whilst ensuring the safety and well-being of these residents remains paramount.”

Gazette:

Areas of home were dirty, say CQC inspectors:

AN inspection by the Care Quality Commission revealed a series of concerns at Abbey Care Home in Great Clacton.

  • It said residents looked “unkempt” and their hair was not brushed and they were unshaven, while bedrooms were sparse and not homely.
  • The report said there was only one working shower room and people were showered according to a rota.
  • The provider did not ensure people had enough to eat and drink throughout the day and drinks and snacks were restricted, it added.
  • The inspectors’ said the management team explained that there used to be a communal drinks station, but this was no longer in use because one person had removed items from it.
  • It was also reported that divan beds were old and stained and bed linen, towels and flannels were worn and threadbare.
  • The provider and management also did not allow toilet rolls, hand soap or hand towels in communal toilets and bathrooms on any floor because one person put items down the toilet, it was claimed.

“This was an unnecessary infringement on people’s dignity and ability to remain independent,” the report said.

The report added that multiple areas of the home were dirty and there were significant shortfalls in its response to the pandemic.