A care agency has had its registration suspended after being rated inadequate in all areas in its first inspection by the health watchdog.

Jiddack Limited, based in Dartford, provided personal care to people living in their own homes.

The service provided support to people with dementia or mental health issues, people with complex health needs and to people who may have physical or sensory disabilities.

They also supported those with a learning disability or autism.

However, a Care Quality Commission inspection on October 31 found the agency was not safe, effective, caring, responsive or well-led.

At the time of the inspection there were 34 people using the service.

The report said there was not sufficient guidance to inform staff how best to provide support, which meant people were at risk of harm.

Documentation around potential safeguarding incidents lacked important information or was missing.

One relative had reported concerns of unexplained bruising on their loved one to the local authority safeguarding team.

"People were not treated with dignity and respect, language used in their care plans was derogatory..."

The report said the provider and registered manager had not responded to the local authority's requests for information in a "timely manner", and they did not investigate the concerns or make improvements.

Another relative had raised concerns that their loved one had unexplained bruising and had not been supported with their personal care.

Staff failed to document the bruising or report it to the provider or to the local authority safeguarding team.

The deployment of staff was unsafe, putting people at risk, and the system for monitoring staffing was ineffective.

Staff had not been recruited safely, and were not well-managed or supported. Their competency was not checked to make sure people received safe care and treatment.

There were no systems in place to learn from accidents or incidents, and medicines were not managed safely.

People were not assessed before being supported by the agency, meaning there were no assurances people's needs could be met by staff.

The report said: "The provider and registered manager had poor oversight around the training needs of staff, they could not provide assurances staff had specialised training to support people with complex needs.

"People were not treated with dignity and respect, language used in their care plans was derogatory.

"Equality, diversity and the individual needs of people had not been well considered."

The provider was unable to tell inspectors the exact number of people undergoing personal care at the time.

As well as this, some people did not have a care plan, and some documentation used "disrespectful language".

"The registered manager and provider had failed to notify other professionals about incidents that should have been reported..."

People also did not have end of life information in their care plans – although some staff had received training in this area.

The inspection found that people were not treated with respect, and said: "The provider and registered manager did not identify when things had gone wrong or taken action to learn from those errors.

"The provider and registered manager were not open and honest when things went wrong and did not understand their regulatory responsibilities as registered persons.

"The registered manager and provider did not always work well with other health care professionals or act in response to the concerns they raised.

"The registered manager and provider had failed to notify other professionals about incidents that should have been reported."

It was found that staff did not support people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing, and did not allow them to have the maximum possible choice and control over their lives.

Staff did not respect or protect people's dignity, and didn't assess risks that they might face.

In one instance, inspectors found a person with a number of wounds and a catheter and stoma did not have a care plan.

Following the inspection, CQC took immediate action to restrict admissions to Jiddak Limited.

They took urgent enforcement action and suspended the registration as a service provider from November 17 to January 20.

The provider de-registered Jiddak Limited with the CQC and is no longer a registered service.

The owner of the care company claims they felt "bullied and intimidated" after being suspended and that it happened too suddenly.

They said: "There were too many issues to challenge, and we hadn't been running for long."

She also said they were not given a "realistic time frame" or a "real chance".

She continued: "I'm a carer, I want to make a difference – I came in with good intentions".

Jiddak Limited has been approached for further comment.