A nursing home has been placed in special measures after medicines were misplaced and fire doors failed to shut in emergencies.

Ashley Down in Clarence Place, Gravesend, has been given six months to take action after it was labelled "inadequate".

It follows a review of the social care service carried out before the lockdown in January.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission identified serious failings, including staffing problems, gaps in medicine records and the absence of basic health and safety checks.

The service, which looks after up to 19 people, was found to rely heavily on agency nurses and carers and its recruitment practices were noted as "unsafe".

This was coupled with an absence of staff training and a lack of oversight from management.

Problems spilled over into medication management with inspectors finding medicines were not always handed out on time and were incorrectly disposed of.

One resident's medication had a box of 28 tablets missing and staff were unable to say where it was.

In the report inspectors said: "We found no evidence people had been harmed, however there was a lack of oversight and scrutiny from the provider and a lack of understanding about protecting people's confidentiality.

"The provider failed to ensure systems and processes were established and operated effectively to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service."

Significant concerns were also raised as fire doors were not closing in emergencies and leaks had affected parts of the building.

The fire service was contacted, who inspected the premises and instructed the providers to take immediate action.

Two weeks after the inspection, the CQC was informed significant concerns remained about people's safety due to problems with the fire panels.

The provider has since informed the regulator this has been fixed.

Inspectors spoke to relatives who said they were happy with the care their loved ones received and that many staff were friendly and knowledgeable.

Surveys were also positive and staff were said to support people in eating a healthy and balanced diet and the food on offer was considered appetising.

They added that staff supported residents to have maximum choice and control of their lives.

Praise was singled out for specialist nurses who support patients at the end of their life in having a dignified and pain-free death.

However, it was noted care workers were not always receptive of individual patient needs and had failed to spot during the inspection when one resident had large holes in their trousers.

The service has now been downgraded to the worst rating of "inadequate" overall and is rated as "requires improvement" for being "effective, caring and responsive".

This is not the first time the home has fallen into disrepute having once been nominated for the "Worst Care Home of the Year Award".

It has now been rated as either "inadequate" or "requires improvement" for the last six inspections.

Ashley Down is now in special measures and will be subject to a re-inspection, after which it will face enforcement procedures if concerns have not been adequately addressed.

The registered provider was contacted for comment.

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