A damning inspection report of a residential care home has resulted in the service being placed into special measures.

The summary, following an unannounced inspection which took place in February, found many of the services at Tendring Meadows care home in Tendring had deteriorated in the past year.

An inspection from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) a year ago concluded the home required improvement and that the leadership of the service was inadequate, resulting in a warning notice being issued along with the report.

But the most recent inspection of the home found Tendring Meadows continued to provide inadequate care on a number of fronts, with the manager of the service yet to be registered with the CQC.

The home cares for residents who have dementia, learning disabilities and mental health conditions, but the report identified serious concerns about the risk of patients choking, along with numerous other failings of care.

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The inspection found numerous cases of residents’ privacy and dignity not being upheld, with relatives of residents saying their loved ones’ belongings – such as clothing and glasses – had gone missing.

The recent rating means it is now the third consecutive inspection where the home has been rated as either inadequate or requiring improvement, by the CQC.

Tendring Meadows is now required to submit an action plan to the CQC, which will work alongside the authorities to monitor its progress.

Responding to the report, a spokesman from Tendring Meadows said the inspection took place during a Covid-19 outbreak, meaning some of the services could not be provided to their normal standard.

The spokesman added they felt the report was not an accurate representation of the care they provided to residents within the home.

He said: “The inspection took place whilst the service had an active outbreak of Covid 19, meaning that our ordinary functions including visiting and group activities were not able to be completed as it would outside of these exceptional circumstances.

“Although we do not feel that this accurately represents the care provided to the individuals that live within Tendring Meadows, we do acknowledge there are areas of significant improvement to be made in the service.”