A CARE home has been placed into special measures following a damning report.

All aspects of Southminster Residential Home, Station Road, were rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission, including safety, effectiveness and leadership.

The home, previously rated as good, has six months to improve or it could be closed.

Inspectors claimed the 33 residents were not cared for properly and people were scared to speak out.

The report stated: “People were not always treated with care, dignity and kindness. We were concerned about the culture at the service and examples of poor practice.”

Staff were criticised for ignoring the needs of residents, failing to handle complaints adequately, as well as being disrespectful and uncaring.

Medicines were not managed properly and the service was not safe.

Inspectors noted the service, which offers care to those with dementia, did not have care plans for people and there was insufficient information for staff about how to best support individuals.

The report added: “Investigations into incidents were not always transparent and lessons learnt were not acted on quickly to mitigate future risks.”

However, the care home’s parent company, Top Care, has decided to challenge the report.

Area manager Mike Richardson said: “We were very disappointed with it to be honest as bits of it are quite misleading.

“We have challenged the report with the Care Quality Commission.

“We feel that some of the descriptive terminology is detrimental both to the home itself and to the staff.”

The Care Quality Commission has been asked to reconsider its report.