'Unclean' Dartford care home in special measures

A care home which was inspected after concerns about safety and dignity has been put in special measures.

Woodford House, in Dartford, had been previously rated as "good" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), but is now "inadequate".

Some residents were "dishevelled" and did not have help brushing their teeth.

Operators of the home, RCB Healthcare, said they took over the home in September and had since made "deep-rooted changes" to staff and policies.

The residential home provides support for older people and people living with dementia, as well as autistic people or people with a learning disability.

Inspectors found the home's communal lounge was "unclean" and had a "strong unpleasant odour".

Residents were stopped from leaving the home, even when there were no orders preventing them.

The CQC said: "Staff didn't always refer to people respectfully by their name and used their room number instead."

The inspectors praised the good quality of the food, and the chef "managed people's dietary and choking risks well".

But Rebecca Bauers, CQC's director for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said: "Inspectors saw some people weren't supported to dress in their own clothes, were dishevelled, or hadn't been helped to clean their teeth for two to three days.

"Woodford House isn't a medical setting. It is a place that people call home, and people should be supported to live with dignity and respect in a way that others are able to take for granted."

A spokeswoman for RCB Healthcare said the company had "inherited many issues", when it took over the running of the care home in September.

"We have made deep rooted changes, not only to the policy and procedures, but to personnel too," she said.

The spokeswoman added that the company had hired a new experienced team, including managers.

"These additions have very much changed the fabric and culture of the home in a positive way," she said.

The CQC says it will continue to closely monitor the home, and it will be inspected again to assess whether improvements have been made.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].