A damning report on a Sittingbourne care home says residents lived in "appalling conditions".

The report found there was no toilet roll in the bathrooms because it was locked away in a cupboard that only the manager had access to.

Bedrooms were filthy with faeces on pillows, bedding and a chair and one bedroom had a strong smell of urine.

Bedsheets were dirty and in some cases residents had no bedding at all. Some were forced to wear clothes too small for them.

After the unannounced visit to Berkeley House on October 20, by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) its owners The Regard Partnership, part of the Achieve Together brand, immediately shut the premises forcing 16 residents with learning difficulties or autism to find alternative accommodation with just five hours notice.

Concerns had been raised about poor leadership, poor risk management and residents living in unsanitary conditions and subject to abuse or harm.

Following the inspection, the overall rating was downgraded from "requires improvement" to "inadequate" and the service put in special measures. The rating for being safe and well-led was also reduced to "inadequate".

Immediately after the inspection, CQC imposed urgent conditions on the provider’s registration and seven residents were moved out while local authorities ensured the remaining residents were kept safe from harm.

The CQC then received further information of concern which led inspectors to return on October 28 which was when the home was closed "with immediate effect."

Debbie Ivanova, CQC’s deputy chief inspector, said: "We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity and independence that most people take for granted. Yet when we inspected Berkeley House, we found people were living in appalling conditions.

"After we went back in, The Regard Partnership Limited chose to close the service with immediate effect giving the authorities and families very little notice to find alternative accommodation causing extreme angst and distress.

“Daily life for people who called this service home was not dignified. In The Bakery, people were living in inhumane conditions as their basic needs were not being met.

"There was no toilet roll in the bathrooms as it was locked away in a cupboard that only the manager had access to.

"People’s bedrooms were dirty, faeces was found on people’s pillows and bedding and on a chair, and one person’s bedroom had a strong smell of urine.

"Bedsheets were dirty, and in some cases, people had no bedding at all. Some people were wearing clothes that were too small for them.

“Some staff spoke to people in a harsh degrading way, telling people to keep out of their personal space with no explanation.

"People’s belongings weren’t respected and furniture that was damaged when staff had been careless wasn’t replaced. One person had no blinds or curtains and their window was fixed open leaving them exposed to extreme weather.

“There were not enough suitably qualified and experience staff in the service to support people’s individual care needs and the culture within the service was poor.

"Basic checks had not been carried out to ensure that people were living in clean, hygienic conditions and their human rights were being met. People were not encouraged to be part of the local community as there were not enough staff to support them to go out.

“It was clear there had been no improvement since our previous inspection. Instead, the service had been allowed to deteriorate and the provider had failed to recognise a closed culture had developed within the service as people were not being treated with dignity or respect and they were at risk of harm."

Inspectors also found staff morale was low. Staff said there had been frequent changes in management and they felt unsupported and not listened to.

The CQC report says the provider had consistently failed to monitor the service. There had been no review of incidents or action taken to prevent the happening again. Care plans and risk assessments had not recently been reviewed or updated.

Documentation was inaccurate. One person's health care plan detailed a condition they did not have and serious health conditions had not been detailed in other care plans.

One person with epilepsy and had been prescribed medicine to help control seizures but no guidance had been given to staff.

One person was at high risk of blood clots but this was not in the care plan.

Staff did not have the skills required to interact or engage with people. There was also unsafe flooring in bedrooms which was a trip hazard.

Some staff were not wearing face masks or not wearing them correctly. Inspectors found used and discarded masks in people’s bedrooms and the garden which posed a risk of spreading infection.

Berkeley House was licensed for up to 19 people with learning disabilities or who had autism in four separate houses, The Windmill, The Granary, The Bakery and Pippin.

"We are clear the provision fell way below the high standards the people we support expect and deserve.."

A spokesman for Achieve Together said: “We are clear that the provision delivered at Berkeley House fell way below the high standards that the people we support rightly expect and deserve, and that we know we can provide. We wholeheartedly apologise for this.

“Following a recent inspection of the service, our CQC and local authority partners determined that people’s needs would be better met in alternative provision and immediate action was taken to instigate this.

“Within the very short time frame available, we followed all recommendations made by the CQC, including immediately deploying an expert management and support team which helped to identify suitable new placements for every person.

“The circumstances surrounding the closure of this service are extremely complex and unique, and involved numerous parties.

"However, we completely recognise the distress and concern that the speed and nature of this closure caused for the people and families involved, and the impact it has subsequently had."

He said a "thorough investigation" was underway to ensure all of the issues raised by the CQC were "robustly addressed" and so "lessons can be learnt".