A "poorly maintained" care home in Highlands Drive, Maldon, has been graded inadequate in a CQC report, following an unannounced inspection.

Hailey House was given the lowest rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after an inspection in May. At the last inspection in 2018, the home was rated as 'good'.

CQC inspectors made two site visits after concerns were raised regarding risk and medicine management, staffing levels and the safety and sanitation of the building.

At the time of the inspections, Hailey House did not have a registered manager in post, although the local authority had provided a temporary manager to support the service.

Hailey House is registered as a care home without nursing care, but the report identified that residents' prescribed medicines "were not always being stored safely in line with manufacturers' recommendations". It said best practices regarding dispensing and administering medicines were not being followed.

It was noted: "Appropriately trained staff were not always available at times when people may need prescribed or 'as required' (PRN) medicines.

"The service lacked staff trained to administer medicines between 10pm and 7.30am. People did not have access to their medicines in a timely way between these times as no staff were competent and trained to administer them."

This included one resident receiving end-of-life care.

Despite the issues raised, staff were observed as "kind, caring and attentive", talking about residents receiving palliative care "with compassion and sensitivity".

The CQC found there was an ongoing pest control problem at Hailey House, making it diffiicult for staff to keep the kitchen clean.

The report added: "There was an ongoing pest control problem, which staff told us made it very difficult to keep the kitchen clean".

Additionally, tiles on the wall of the kitchen were "falling off", with wires on the oven exposed and food not always stored at the correct temperature.

Maintenance issues flagged by the report included two upstairs bathrooms which were out of order, meaning all 15 residents were required to share the same downstairs bathroom. To access this, however, they had to pass through the communal lounge. In turn, this meant "people's privacy, dignity and independence were not always promoted".

One resident told inspectors they wished to make use of the garden at Hailey House but could not as the decking area had become "dirty and unusable".

They said: "I would love to go out in the garden and plant some flowers, but it's not nice so not worth going out there."

As well as the garden, the CQC report identified that the home's exterior required extensive repairs. Inspectors reported seeing rotting window frames, water pipes "held up together with tape", and a leak from the washing machines underneath the laundry room.

Hailey House has been placed in special measures, and a further inspection will be undertaken in six months. If significant changes are not implemented within 12 months, the home will be prevented from operating or have to comply with stringent conditions.

The Hailey House management team did not wish to comment on the CQC report when approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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