RESIDENTS living in a care home could be moved out by Essex County Council after inspectors branded it “inadequate”.

Foley House in High Garrett was put into special measures in February after it was branded “not safe” by the Care Quality Commission.

Afterwards, Essex County Council held a meeting with staff at the care home to discuss the future of residents it has placed in its care.

The home, which specialises in deaf and blind residents and offers 21 rooms, has now been told the council intends to cancel the contracts of the five residents living there under its responsibility.

Dick Madden, councillor responsible for adults and children, said it was also working to improve care for residents who will remain in Foley House.

He said: “Essex County Council does not have the authority to close care homes, such as Foley House. This is the role of the Care Quality Commission, who have recently rated this home as inadequate, and who will be again visiting this home soon.

“Over the last year we have worked closely with the Charitable Trust who own the care home to try to improve how the care is organised and provided, along with raising the standards that are required.

“My main concern is for the residents that currently live there.

“We will continue to work with the residents, their families and staff to determine options for their future care and what is in their best interests, taking into account their individual needs.”

In the latest CQC report, the watchdog said a registered manager had not been in place for seven months. The report also said there was not enough staff to provide adequate care for each resident.

It said: “There were insufficient staff to provide responsive care. Record keeping was poor and we could not see how the service was meeting people’s needs. Community involvement and engagement were poor and people did not have enough con- tact with their community.”

The CQC report said risk to residents was not regularly evaluated.

The home was rated inadequate for safety, its responsiveness and its leadership. The effectiveness and care on offer at Foley House were both rated as requires improvement, It said: “Records were not kept of the day-to-day care being provided, so we could not see what care and support was being given to people.”

A spokesman for Foley House Trust said: “We are dismayed by the action taken by Essex County Council and disagree with the reasons for it.

“We have appealed against their decision and ask for a dispute resolution as specified in our contract with them, but this process moves much more slowly than the contract termination process.”