Aden House Care Home in Huddersfield placed in special measures

Inspectors said the home, whose residents included some with dementia, was not safe or well-led

A "dirty" care home where residents were left in a "dishevelled" state has been warned it could be shut down after being rated inadequate by inspectors.

Aden House Care Home in Huddersfield has been placed in special measures "to keep people safe", the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.

"The environment was not suitable to be called a home," the CQC said.

Operator Hill Care said it was "deeply upset" by the report and managers had been appointed to oversee improvements.

The CQC said the service would be kept under review and re-inspected within six months.

"If the provider has not made enough improvement within this timeframe... we will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service," it added.

'Totally unacceptable'

Sheila Grant, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: "When we inspected Aden House Care Home, it was really concerning to see such a poor level of care being provided to people.

"Aden House is somewhere that people using this service call home and leaders weren't ensuring it was a safe and clean place to live, or somewhere where people's basic hygiene and wellbeing needs were being met.

"It was concerning and upsetting to see that several people were dishevelled and unclean, with greasy hair and dirty fingernails.

"Relatives were concerned about people not being supported to clean their teeth or get assistance with their personal hygiene which is totally unacceptable."

She said the home was "dirty, in a state of disrepair and had a sombre atmosphere".

"We found dirt and debris on communal floors, broken furniture in bathrooms and unclean bedding in people's rooms which could place them at risk of harm or infection," Ms Grant added.

"In addition, people weren't always spoken to in a kind or caring manner and their dignity wasn't always respected."

'Immediate action'

A spokesperson for Hill Care, which operates Aden House Care Home, said: "We are deeply upset with the findings in our latest CQC inspection report and took immediate action to address the issues raised by inspectors at the time of their visit in April.

"Since then, we have been working closely with the local authority and the CQC on an action plan of ongoing improvements to ensure the high standards of care our residents, their loved ones, and we would normally expect.

"Since the inspection, a new home manager and regional manager have been appointed and are continuing with the improvements at the care home."