Care home staff left the central heating on during a heatwave putting residents at risk of heat exhaustion.

CQC inspectors highlighted this alongside several other serious failings at Millhouse in Salters Lane, Faversham, prompting them to place the home in special measures.

The care home is one of three to have been branded inadequate by the CQC following unannounced inspections.

All three homes had failed to carry out improvements highlighted in previous visits, prompting inspectors to place them all in special measures.

In a report released this week Mill House was found to be breaching "fundamental standards of care" when it was inspected in July.

Inspectors also found dirty commodes and other equipment, and said some rooms had not been cleaned effectively to remove strong odours.

In addition people were unable to wash their hands properly because some bathrooms did not have soap or hand gel.

The inspection team found people were at risk of heat exhaustion because the central heating was on during a heat wave and there were no fans available.

It was also not clear whether or not one resident's prescribed cream had been administered for three weeks.

The home provides care for up to 24 people.

At Alpine care home in Sevenoaks inspectors found some staff were not kind or compassionate to patients, many of whom suffer from dementia.

The inspectors' report said staff did not always listen to people or treat them with respect, and did not always respond, or know how to respond, to people’s distress.

The home looks after up to 30 older people, but inspectors said it was poorly led, and managers had failed to identify several problems highlighted in the report.

Worryingly, cleaning the home properly was deemed to be difficult due to the decor, leaving residents at risk of infection.

Records of medication were not kept properly and some medicines had not been given to patients who needed them, according to the team's report.

Inspectors visited the home in Bradbourne Park Road in August.

Hill Farm care home in Bobbing near Sittingbourne was also rated inadequate by inspectors following a visit in June.

They raised particular concern about the safety of the eight residents, who have a range of physical disabilities and learning disabilities.

One resident suffered an injury when they were alone, yet staff did not know how it had happened.

Inspectors also found the care home had ignored previous orders by the CQC about storing food properly.

Medicines were not adequately recorded by staff, and entries on the records did not correspond with the prescription, and stock did not tally with the amount of medicines received and given.

All three services will be inspected again within six months.