A “poorly maintained” care home has been graded 'inadequate' in a CQC report, which highlighted issues of cleanliness and a lack of trained staff available at key times to administer medicine to patients safely.

Hailey House, in Maldon, was given the lowest rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an unannounced inspection in May. At the last inspection in 2018, the home was rated ‘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.

When inspectors made visits on May 11 and May 17, there were 15 people living at the property.

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.

The report said residents’ prescribed medicines “were not always being stored safely in line with manufacturers recommendations”, in addition to best practices regarding dispensing and administering medicines not being followed.

It added: “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.

Communal areas were reportedly “cluttered, some dirty and in need of maintenance".

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

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 highlighted by the report included two upstairs bathrooms which were out of order, meaning all 15 residents had to share the same downstairs bathroom.

A lack of staff meant care workers had to to cover for the home’s cook, who only worked two days  a week and alternate weekends.

The report said 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.

Despite the issues raised, staff were said to be “kind, caring and attentive”.

Hailey House has been placed in special measures, and a further inspection will be undertaken in six months.

The management team declined to comment.