A care home which replaced its manager after a damning report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has had its rating reduced further less than a year after being told it must improve.

In November 2016, inspectors from the health watchdog found Darenth Grange Residential Home to be in breach of seven regulations of the Health and Social Care Act and placed it in special measures.

They checked again in July, with the home under new management in a bid to improve standards following the former manager's retirement, and an updated report has now been published, revealing that despite residents and their families being generally pleased, standards have declined even further.

Four of the original breaches remain, plus another four, and the home’s overall rating has decreased from “requires improvement” to the lowest rating of “inadequate”.

The directors of DFA Care, which runs the home, said in a statement they felt the report was unfair, but they would work with the CQC to “bring Darenth Grange up to their standard”.

“Although Darenth Grange is an old building and needs a lot of maintaining, the residents here have always been well looked after and feel happy and safe,” they said.

“We have good relationships with families and they have always offered support to us.

“The majority of the staff have been here many years and always treat the residents with respect and dignity.

“Since the inspection we have addressed many of the areas that the report highlighted and are having meetings with CQC and Kent County Council on the way forward.

“A new manager will be in post by the end of October to continue with our development plan.

“We have a meeting with CQC this week and would like to comment further after this meeting. We will be looking forward to our next inspection.”

The report said that elderly people who live at Darenth Grange, many of whom have dementia, were not safeguarded from abuse and not always treated with respect, with staff referring to them as “feeders, walkers and wanderers” based on their needs.

Care was not being planned in a personal way, meaning that residents were not guaranteed the care that they needed, with even basic necessities sometimes not catered for.

The report noted two residents were allowed to go days without enough water, only drinking between 30 and 60 millilitres per day rather than the recommended 1,600-2,000.

Other risks to safety, including the spread of infections, were not dealt with effectively, with dirty bathrooms said to smell of urine. Medicine was stored in a room in which the ceiling had fallen down.

Inspectors said there was “no clear or directive leadership” and that records for the 28 people living at the home in Darenth Hill were not kept in a way that guaranteed accuracy or that they were up-to-date.

The home will remain in special measures.