Walmer care home rated inadequate and placed in special measures

Sonia Lodge in Walmer has been placed in special measures

A care home for people with dementia has been put into special measures after being rated inadequate.

Sonia Lodge in Walmer, Kent, was given the rating after an inspection in March by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

In a previous inspection in September, the CQC found breaches of legal requirements, and had rated the home as requires improvement.

The home will now be closely monitored and inspected again in six months' time.

Hazel Roberts, the CQC's head of adult social care inspection, said services had deteriorated between the two inspections.

"During our inspection we found one person's continence pads hadn't been changed, or even checked, for eight hours" she said.

"Consequently, the lounge, and some other areas in the home, smelt of urine."

Ms Roberts said that one person claimed they "hadn't been to the toilet for four days" while others were found wearing dirty clothes.

"Some people living there didn't get on well," she said, adding: "Instead of intervening to calm people, the situation was left to escalate, and we saw people in the lounge shouting at each other and threatening to hit one another."

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