Care home rated inadequate for second time by CQC

The most recent inspection of Hevercourt in Gravesend was carried out in February

A care home in Kent has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for the second time.

Hevercourt in Gravesend received the rating following an inspection in February which the CQC said found five breaches of legal regulations relating to safe care and treatment, safeguarding, staffing, recruitment and how the service was managed.

In response to these findings, CQC imposed urgent conditions on the home to restrict them from taking on new residents without prior agreement from the watchdog.

Hevercourt, which was also rated inadequate in a report published in September 2024, has been contacted for a comment.

Inspectors found staff were supporting people with unsafe techniques, medicines were still not being managed or stored safely, people's care records and plans were not updated and lacked detail, and incident management and safeguarding systems were poor.

The report also said staff were not always recruited safely and there were gaps in employment checks.

Areas of the home - including people's bedrooms - remained difficult to keep clean and in need of updating, and the environment continued to be potentially disorienting for people with dementia.

A new manager was in post since the last inspection, but the provider had not given them a clear induction or action plan, the CQC said.

However, the watchdog added that staff reported the new manager had made some positive changes, such as acting quickly on a concern about a lack of equipment.

Serena Coleman, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, said staff did not take action when people's health was at risk.

"We also saw detail was missing from notes about what staff did when someone had choked on their food, and staff didn't support people who had wounds on their skin to regularly change positions to prevent further injury," she said.

The deputy director said in the watchdog's previous inspection it found people were at risk of sexualised behaviour from other residents and this was still the case.

Ms Coleman added: "During the inspection, we saw a 20-minute period where no staff were present in a room with six residents.

"Incident reports showed 80% of falls happened during the night shift, but staffing levels hadn't been reviewed."

The deputy leader said the care home had been told where "immediate and widespread" improvements were needed.

The CQC explained that the home remained in special measures, meaning it was being closely monitored to ensure people were kept safe whilst improvements were made.