Inspectors have released a damning report into a care home where residents were found "locked in their bedrooms during the night without their consent".

Madeira Lodge Residential Home in New Romney, which cares for people with dementia, has been rated "inadequate" overall following the inspection last October, which was sparked by a whistleblower.

The facility - which was criticised over safety, effectiveness and leadership - has since changed provider.

But documents released by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January stated: "People were not protected from risk of harm or abuse.

"We received significant concerns from a whistleblower that people were being locked in their rooms at night.

"When we arrived at 5am, we found seven people had been locked in their room without their consent.

"Two rooms had been bolted from the outside.

"One of these rooms was on the second floor and the person's care plan confirmed they were unable to use a call bell for help placing them at significant risk of harm.

"The staff member who accompanied us around the building did not have keys to open these doors and could not explain why they were locked."

In a later conversation, bosses told inspectors that the rooms may have been locked to "protect the person's belongings" or that the residents had "asked for the room to be locked so no other people could enter the rooms".

However, the CQC say they found no evidence to support these decisions.

The report reveals the doors were unlocked during the inspection, and bolts removed once the registered manager arrived on site.

"The registered manager and staff referred to people as 'wanderers', 'fiddlers', 'fidgeters' and 'want attention'..."

All people locked in their rooms had not come to physical harm but were at risk of serious harm to their mental health, the inspectors said.

The document goes on to list multiple other faults within the home.

Staff were criticised for not always treating people in a caring way and were accused of being under-qualified in dealing with residents living with advanced dementia.

The report adds: "People were not always treated in a dignified way.

"People were not treated with respect and compassion or given emotional support when needed.

"Although we saw some examples of staff treating people kindly, care delivered was not always respectful.

"The registered manager and staff referred to people as 'wanderers', 'fiddlers', 'fidgeters' and 'want attention'.

"Staff did not follow safe practices when supporting people who needed help to move."

The report also condemned the dining experience at the home saying "people were not always supported to eat and drink enough".

It was noted that residents "received their medicines as prescribed" and the "provider was preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections".

Staff also told officials they "felt supported by the management team and knew how to raise concerns".

Since the inspection in October, information on the CQC website shows that the owners of Madeira Lodge has changed from Belmont Sandbanks Limited to Belmont Healthcare (Madeira) Limited.

The site states: "We are carrying out a review of quality at Madeira Lodge. We will publish a report when our review is complete."

In the home's previous inspection, in April 2021, it received a 'good' report from officials.

Madeira Lodge has been contacted for a comment