A care home in Strood has been rated inadequate and placed in special measures by inspectors.

A team from the Care Quality Commission found Amicus Care Home Limited in Hillside Avenue was inadequate in several categories including being safe, effective, responsive and well-led.

The home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 18 people aged 65 and over, some residents have dementia, mobility difficulties and sensory impairments.

Inspectors found medicines had not been given out, recorded or stored effectively and that some residents had not always received their prescribed medication.

They found fire escape routes were not suitable for people living in the home, one was blocked by laundry and another was unsafe.

Overall inspectors found the home was poorly managed.

Debbie Ivanova, CQC deputy chief inspector of adult social care, said: “From the poor standards of care identified on our inspection and the lack of effective leadership of the service we had no choice other than to take action.

“We have rated Amicus Care Home Limited as inadequate and placed it into special measures.

“Our priority is to ensure the safety and welfare of people receiving services at all times and it is unacceptable that the provider had not taken proper steps to ensure residents’ safety or to provide people living at the home with care that meets their needs.

“We are also considering what further enforcement maybe appropriate to the breaches in regulation we found at Amicus Care Home Limited.”

Brenda Slattery, care home manager, said: “We are fully co-operating with the CQC and since the draft report came out we have employed a care home consultant and we have actually got an action plan that we have forwarded to the CQC.”

The report also stated residents did not always receive food and drink in a safe way, or did not follow guidance given by healthcare professionals. The home’s food stocks were found to be low, which staff told inspectors was a frequent problem.

Residents’ needs were not always managed quickly or effectively so they did not have access to health professionals when they needed them, and were not always treated with dignity and respect.