A care home which looks after 85 people has been put in special measures after inspectors found people were put at serious risk of choking, malnutrition and dehydration.

After an unannounced visit from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this year, the Park View Care Centre was rated “inadequate”.

The Ashford home, which is based in Field View, Park Farm, looks after adults, including some with dementia or complex nursing needs.

Inspectors rated the care home “inadequate” in two of five categories and “requires improvement” in the remaining three.

A report, released yesterday (Friday), said people at the care home “were placed at serious risk of harm because care was not delivered safely”.

It added: “Risks people faced were not fully identified, assessed, or reviewed. Staff were not always following people's care plans or risk assessments which put people at risk of avoidable harm. Medicines were not always managed safely and provided to people as prescribed.

“People were not supported to maintain a balanced diet and meal options did not reflect people’s individual needs and choices. Staff did not always follow each person's dietary requirement or support needs, which placed them at serious risk of choking, malnutrition, and dehydration. People had their weights monitored but these were not always regular enough to mitigate the risk of malnutrition.”

Inspectors found people and their relatives were not involved in decisions about their care and “weren’t always treated with dignity and respect”.

One relative told the CQC staff: “There’s lot of confused people there and staff don’t know how to deal with it. They just ignore it.”

The report revealed there was not enough staff to meet people’s physical and emotional needs.

Another relative said: “On the ground floor at weekends I have to search and find a nurse. Staff ignore people who are shouting ‘help me, help me’. Bells go off and they ignore it."

One person's records showed they were given a tablet medicine which they could not swallow in the two days prior to their death, despite them only being prescribed liquid medication.

The report continued: “The provider failed to ensure the quality and safety of the service was monitored effectively. The provider’s quality assurance systems were not effective.

Click here to see the Kent care homes given red ratings.

“Records at the service, including people's care records, were not always present, accurate or reviewed when required. This put people at risk of not receiving the care they needed safely and consistently and staff not knowing how to support them when their needs had changed.”

The home was rated “requires improvement” at its previous inspection in May 2022, but the CQC found an action plan to turn things around had led to sufficient improvements.

Among the recommendations were to review staffing levels so people call bells could be responded to more quickly.

That inspection was prompted by concerns raised about the home, as well as the death of a resident, which raised concerns over choking risks.

Being placed in special measures means the home will be monitored, and reinspected within six months.

You can view the full report here.

Park View Care Centre and RCH Homes have been approached for comment.