A resident was left bruised and bloodied following an incident at an “inadequate” care home where rooms looked “tired, worn and in need of repair”.

White Cliffs Lodge in Dover has been plunged into special measures after inspectors found a host of issues - ranging from understaffing and poor facilities, to serious safety concerns.

The centre, which previously held a rating of “good”, supports people who need help with their mental health, or have a learning disability or autism.

But the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has now given it the worst possible score.

During an unannounced visit, CQC officers noted “people were not safe and were at risk of avoidable harm” and that several incidents had not been properly reported to safeguarding teams.

“We identified incidents where people suffered harm or distress, some which were avoidable,” officials wrote.

“An incident had been recorded in one person's notes that they were found to have blood and a bruise on their nose, this had not been referred to the local safeguarding.

“Another person had a number of incidents where they had choked on their food and needed first aid.”

“An incident had been recorded in one person's notes that they were found to have blood and a bruise on their nose...”

Despite carers having received training in how to avoid and handle choking incidents, their competency in putting their training into practice was lacking.

“For example, an incident of choking occurred, and it was recorded the staff member continued to give the person the same food after the choking incident,” the inspectors wrote.

More generally, the CQC report published on April 28 said staff at White Cliffs Lodge “did not always have the skills and experience to support people”.

“The provider had not ensured staff had received practical training relevant to their role,” it said.

“For example, one staff member told us that practical training in de-escalation techniques were not available to staff and that some staff were not as confident as others when supporting people who were distressed.”

The watchdog also observed that some residents’ rooms and personal belongings at the Primrose Road site were in need of better upkeep

Some rooms were observed to be “bare and did not look or feel homely”, while others did not have any personal effects or had clean clothes crumpled into drawers.

“Furniture was broken and in need of repair or replacement and some people did not have any curtains or blinds up at their windows,” added inspectors.

“The home manager identified there were rooms that needed updating and two bathrooms that needed renovating.

“They were in the process of implementing the work to be carried out.”

A spokesperson for White Cliffs Lodge said: “We acknowledge the findings of a recently published CQC report following an inspection in March.

“We take these findings very seriously and are committed to working alongside the CQC, the Local Authority and other stakeholders to address and rectify all of the issues identified.

“Two weeks before the inspection, we appointed a new Registered Manager who is working with the team to implement a robust action plan.

“Since his appointment, significant improvements have already been achieved and his positive impact was referenced in the report.

“The service is being overseen by an experienced Quality Improvement Manager and we are confident that our actions will lead to sustainable improvements.

“We would like to reassure the residents, their families and the local community that we take the feedback seriously and our priority is to appropriately address all of the issues raised.”