Inspectors have found an "inadequate" care home is "putting people at risk" and could shut it down as a result.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has placed Pelham House in Folkestone into special measures after an inspection found problems with medication, cleanliness and other risks to safety.

An inspection of the care home, which provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia, was undertaken in August after concerns were raised about the standard of care being provided.

These concerns were substantiated and this led to the home once again being rated inadequate, the verdict also delivered last year, with the service also being rated inadequate for being safe and well-led.

As the inspection was in response to specific concerns, the watchdog did not provide a rating how caring, effective or responsive the service is.

Being placed in special measures means Pelham House will now be kept under close review to ensure residents are kept safe while necessary improvements are made.

Hazel Roberts, the CQC head of adult social care inspection, said: "We take concerns shared with us about the care being provided to people extremely seriously and inspected Pelham House as a result of such feedback.

"We found standards of care fell way below what people should expect and a number of issues were putting people at risk.

"If we aren't assured people are safe at the service, we won't hesitate to take further action..."

"People didn’t always receive their medication as prescribed and the premises weren't always clean or safe for people living with dementia.

"People were at risk of falling, but incidents weren't recorded or reported properly, and lessons weren't learnt to avoid these risks from happening in future.

"We also found that people didn't receive consistent care, from people they knew well as staff turnover was so high.

"We have told the service what it must do to improve but if we aren't assured people are safe at the service, we won't hesitate to take further action, which could include placing restrictions on the home's registration or even closing the care home altogether."

The home suffered a devastating series of losses during the pandemic, with 10 people dying in just a few weeks in 2020. The home featured in an episode of Panorama as a result.

KentOnline contacted Pelham House for comment on the findings of the inspection.