A care home has been plunged into special measures after inspectors found residents were "not protected from discrimination and abuse".

St Gabriel's House - Apartments in Westgate-On-Sea, which looks after people with learning disabilities, was slapped with a rating of inadequate - the worst possible - following a Care Quality Commission visit earlier this year.

The watchdog also discovered "aspects of the service were not always safe", with there being "an increased risk that residents could be harmed".

In their report - which has been published today - the inspectors noted: "There had been no effective system in place to keep people safe from discrimination and abuse.

"There had been five incidents of aggression between people when one person had moved into the service, including throwing a drink at another and grabbing their jumper.

"These had not been reported to the local safeguarding authority as required for investigation.

"Action had not been taken immediately to reduce the risk of the incidents occurring again and they continued until the person settled into the service."

Members of staff at St Gabriel's House - Apartments were also found not wearing masks.

Inspectors discussed this with the head of the service who stressed "they were following the new guidance about supporting people with communication needs".

But following the inspection, bosses told the assessors carers "would now be wearing face masks".

Meanwhile, medicines were adjudged not to have been managed safely.

"Aspects of the service were not always safe," the report added.

"People’s safety and wellbeing needs weren’t always being met, and risks weren’t effectively managed..."

"There was an increased risk that people could be harmed.

"The overall rating for this service is inadequate and it is therefore in special measures.

"This means we will keep it under review and, if we do not propose to cancel the provider's registration, we will re-inspect within six months to check for significant improvements.

"If the provider has not improved enough within this timeframe and there is still a rating of inadequate, we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures."

The home received a mark of "good" when it was last inspected two years ago.

But it later changed hands and was taken over by Achieve Together Limited.

And during the latest visit in October, the firm was criticised for not having enough permanent staff at the service, as "most shifts only had agency workers on duty".

However, shift records did show "there was the required number on duty to support residents".

CQC director for people with learning disabilities Debbie Ivanova says the watchdog is "considering what further action we may wish to take" against the service.

"When we inspected St Gabriel's House - Apartments, we found a service where the standard of care had deteriorated since our last inspection," she explained.

"People’s safety and wellbeing needs weren’t always being met, and risks weren’t effectively managed.

“Currently, we are considering what further action we may wish to take at St Gabriel's House – Apartments.

"In the meantime we will continue to monitor the service closely to ensure people are safe. If we are not assured people are receiving safe care, we will not hesitate to take further action.”

While the inspectors concluded the home lacked "enough appropriately skilled permanent staff to meet people's needs", they did note residents "were treated with kindness" and that their "privacy and dignity" were respected.

Achieve Together Limited has been approached for comment.