Staff at a care home which shut suddenly days after an unannounced inspection admitted its residents were unsafe, confessing: “It would be best for them to leave.”

Employees at Elliott House in Herne Bay said they would not even place their own loved ones at the Reculver Road site, which was visited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November.

Bosses remain tight-lipped about the reasons for its subsequent closure, only saying their issues stemmed from Covid – adding weight to claims a number of carers quit when the government made it mandatory for them to be vaccinated against the virus.

A report published this week sheds more light on the home’s troubles, revealing it was chronically understaffed, unclean and failing to protect people from “abuse”.

“We have identified breaches in relation to people’s health and safety, staffing levels, recruitment, safeguarding and good governance,” inspectors noted.

"People were not protected from the risk of abuse as safeguarding concerns had not always been reported to the local authority or CQC.

“There was insufficient competent staff to keep people safe. Some told us there was not enough people on duty to give residents the care and support they needed.

‘I don’t feel like people are safe here. It would be best for people to leave, even if I have no job.’

“One said: ‘We don’t have time to do things. We barely have time to give people a drink, the ones who need help. Would I want my nan here? No, I wouldn’t.'

“Another told us: ‘I don’t feel like people are safe here. It would be best for people to leave, even if I have no job.’”

The assessment, which was prompted by concerns raised about the service’s staffing levels and management, was undertaken by the CQC shortly after rules making it compulsory for care home employees to be jabbed were introduced.

But the watchdog discovered a number of cases in which carer vaccine records were “missing”, while no such documentation was seen for the home’s agency workers.

The home had been rocked by an outbreak of Covid towards the end of 2020 – but despite this no evidence showing its workforce was tested regularly had been found.

“The provider was not able to evidence they had checked staff had received their vaccinations or were exempt, as required,” the assessors added.

“The service was not clean. There were insufficient cleaning staff to keep it so.

“People were not kept safe from the risk of infection.”

Carers were seen leaving thickening solution next to a dementia sufferer – which, if swallowed without water, could cause a person to choke.

Meanwhile, items such as razor blades were left in an unlocked bathroom draw.

And inspectors noted the agency staff hired to bolster numbers at the home “did not know people well and were unaware” of the risks they could pose.

“Some residents displayed emotions through behaviour that could be distressing to themselves,” they added.

“These included hitting, smearing faeces, self-harm and aggression. One member of staff told us no one had this type of risk.

“There had been incidents where one person was at risk of harm from behaviours involving body waste.

"This also presented a risk to other people.

'There were people who had been living there being taken out in tears – it was horrible...'

“There was no guidance for staff relating to this or the action they should take to mitigate this risk.”

Further into the report, the CQC concluded there were “widespread and significant shortfalls” at the top of the service, as residents were found not to be treated with “dignity and respect”.

On one occasion, an employee was observed bursting into a bathroom as a client received personal care, before having a conversation in the doorway with a colleague, leaving the person in full view.

“Leaders and the culture they created did not assure the delivery of high-quality care,” the report continued.

“Quality checks had failed to identify medicines were out of date, ensure standards of cleanliness were maintained, and risks to people were not well managed.”

Morale was also said to be low following the departures of a number of permanent staff, with others also expected to leave.

This prompted one beleaguered carer to tell inspectors: “I don’t think it’s particularly great here.

“We don’t know where this service is going, so how do the residents know? They are very uneasy about what’s going to happen.”

Elliott House – which cared for dementia sufferers and those over the age of 65 – was subsequently plunged into special measures, as the CQC rated it inadequate, the worst score possible.

On November 19, just four days after the inspection, it closed for good.

Most of its 46 residents were given only two days’ notice to find a new home – but one, 90-year-old Belinda Meteyard, did not know she had to leave until November 18.

Reacting to the report’s findings, her son, Jez, said: “I was told seven staff left on the Thursday before (November 11) because they did not want to be vaccinated.

“They were already short-staffed before that – that’s the picture they were painting.

“What I find shocking is the speed with which they closed it – finding 46 people new homes in 48 hours is madness.

“There were people who had been living there being taken out in tears – it was horrible.”

Mr Meteyard stresses his mother, who has dementia and uses a wheelchair, had enjoyed living at Elliott House, but recalls families were left in “shock” by the situation.

He eventually managed to move his mother to a care home in Upper Harbledown, Canterbury.

When approached by KentOnline's sister publication the Kentish Gazette, the home’s nominated individual, Mike Wipfler, declined to comment “at this stage”.