A care home where patients were given medicine “as and when” and had a “regimented routine” of baths once-a-week has been placed into special measures.

The services provided at Mont Calm, in Bower Mount Road, Maidstone are “inadequate”, says a health watchdog’s report.

The family-owned care home was founded in 1987 and became the first in Maidstone to specialise in caring for people with dementia.

The service, which provides personal and nursing care for 25 people, is run by MGL Healthcare Limited and its director has said it has already “implemented several key improvements”.

An inspection was carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from September 3 to September 17.

In its report provided to KentOnline, assessors say safety risks were not managed well and residents were not being supported to live independently.

Deputy director of CQC operations in the south, Serena Coleman, said: “The care provided was institutionalised care.

“Staff told inspectors that care wasn’t based on the support needs or choices of people.

“Staff weren’t confident people had choices in their care with some residents aware they were following a regimented routine, such as one bath a week or being dressed and in the lounge by 8am each day.”

Carers also told inspectors the home could be difficult to clean due to the layout of the building – leading to foul smells.

One said: “The smell (of urine) can be breathtaking.”

Another added: “I try to clean everything good. It can be a struggle, everyday some rooms are very smelly.”

Inspectors also found staff didn’t always investigate incidents which placed people at risk.

When one occurred they informed relatives but couldn’t always provide information on how it happened resulting in missed opportunities to prevent them in the future.

The report said: “We saw one person had a large bruise on their face, however, no action had been taken to determine how this had been caused, whether this was caused by a fall or another person or member of staff.”

Inspectors also found the management of medicines was not always handled safely.

They found the medicine room door left unlocked despite a sign saying the door needed to be locked.

The report added: “The registered manager told us they tried not to use ‘as and when’ anti-psychotic medicine for people if not required.

“However, we found people were receiving ‘as and when required’ medicines including anti-psychotic medicines and constipation medicines when it was not clear whether it was required.”

CQC issued three warning notices to MGL Healthcare Limited for not providing safe care, safe staffing and not managing the service effectively.

Miss Coleman said: “We were deeply concerned by our findings at Mont Calm Residential Home. We’ve told the home where immediate improvements must be made.

“We’re currently working with other organisations including the local authority and monitoring the home very closely to make sure people are kept safe while this happens.”

“We are deeply disappointed with the outcome of the inspection…”

Director of MGL Healthcare Limited, John Lisis told KentOnline that “key improvements” had already been made.

He said the service has reviewed its approach to ensure it remains focused on supporting residents’ independence and meeting their individual needs, additional training has been provided to staff and new systems have been put in place to improve how it manages medicines and investigates incidents.

The building has also been upgraded to meet high standards of hygiene, making it easier to maintain a clean and comfortable environment for residents.

Mr Lisis added: “We are deeply disappointed with the outcome of the inspection. While we do not agree with all aspects of CQC’s description of the service, we accept that improvements are required.

“We are working closely with the CQC, the local authority, and Fulcrum Care Consultancy, a nationally recognised expert in care quality improvement, to ensure we deliver the highest standard of care for our residents.

“We are committed to learning from the shortcomings identified in the report and have put a clear action plan in place to ensure sustained progress.

“We look forward to welcoming the CQC back to demonstrate the improvements we have made since the inspection.”