A care home in Dover threatened with being shut down has already closed.

Inspectors came close to pulling the registration from Meadow Dean in Lower Road, River, after failings were found in a series of inspections.

Several managers had quit and there were mishaps such as staff causing fire hazards by giving patients flammable skin cream.

But Kent County Council, which funded some residents, says it closed four months ago.

This was five months after the last inspection, which lead to another damning report.

A KCC spokesman told KentOnline: “The provider told us they intended to close the home in mid October and it closed on November 22.

“The residents were all supported to find alternative accommodation and moved out by the closure date.”

By October there had been 13 out of a possible 26 residents, 11 of whom were funded by KCC.

It did not fund the privately-run premises, a residential home for the elderly, itself.

Care Quality Commission inspectors had checked the premises last June and put out their resulting report on February 14.

They said there have been failings to properly improve the home and it once again got the lowest overall grading of "inadequate". Only minor improvements had been made.

The home, which scored poor reports since 2015, was kept in special measures.

The CQC report said: “If not enough improvement is made so that there is still a rating of inadequate we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service.

“This will lead to cancelling their registration or to varying the terms of their registration within six months if they do not improve.”

The body had to publish its findings from its inspection even though the home closed.

"Inspectors found that staffing was sufficient, having previously had high turnover, but it was not deployed efficiently to ensure residents’ needs were met."

Instability in the management team saw constant departures.

The report said: “The management of the service had been unstable for nearly two years and historically there continued to be a lack of oversight and scrutiny of the service.”

A new manager, appointed in September 2017, left a month later.

Another started on October 27 that year but also left. A registered manager had not been in post since August 2016, breaking a condition of registration. Efforts to recruit a new one had not succeeded.

A deputy manager started in January 2018 and left shortly after the inspection that June.

"The residents were all supported to find alternative accommodation and moved out by the closure date" - Kent County Council

The CQC also found in June that some residents were prescribed creams for their skin containing highly flammable paraffin.

There was no risk assessment for using them and their use increased the chance of a fire starting.

Inspectors asked what had been done to help prevention such s changing people’s clothes and bedding to prevent build-up.

Staff did not know there was any risk concerning such creams.

In other cases people’s dignity was not always maintained as staff did not respond promptly when people needed to use the bathroom.

KentOnline has tried to contact Meadow Dean management to comment on the report.

The inspectors acknowledged that the home had its plus-points.

Firstly medicines were managed safely and infections control procedures were in place.

Residents’ independence was promoted and they were involved in decisions about their care.

Residents said they felt safe there, that they got the care they needed and that the service had improved.

Staff were kind and a doctor would be called promptly if someone felt ill.

The management of medicines had improved since the last inspection and people were receiving them as described and at the right time.

Relatives and visitors said they were made welcome at the home.