An Abbey Wood care home has been placed in special measures after the Care Quality Commission (CQC) labelled all aspects of its service as ‘Inadequate’.
Cedar Court Care Home at 138 Lensbury Way in the London borough of Bexley offers residential dementia care. Despite this purpose, one member of staff at Cedar Court told CQC investigators they did not know what Parkinson’s was and said no one living at Cedar Court had the condition.
Another said they had only read about Parkinson’s in books and never seen anyone with symptoms.
The CQC carried out its assessment from November 15, 2024 to March 6, 2025, publishing the report on its findings on May 29 this year. Key problems identified in the CQC report include:
- Investigators described a “poor culture” at Cedar Court with a “level of complacency and a lack of empathy shown towards people and their care”
- Investigators said the care home was “not clean, properly maintained and did not present a dementia friendly environment”
- Staff said there were not always enough staff to meet people’s needs
- Staff giving a resident medicine despite them being “at risk of adverse side effects”
- Investigators said staff “were not able to tell us how they would support people in distress”
- One relative said they had “no idea” about the resident’s care plan
Investigators discovered that one Cedar Home patient had fallen five times within one month in late 2024. Despite being previously assessed as being at high risk of falls and their care plan stating that staff must ensure they are wearing appropriate footwear, the patient was observed walking around in socks throughout the site visit.
Inspectors also had to intervene when staff were not responding to a resident “shouting in distress” from their bedroom when they were in an “undignified state and wanting a drink”.
The CQC felt there “was no effective system to ensure people’s needs were immediately responded to” with leads being removed from call bells on the bedroom walls of residents.
The report stated that staff had insufficient knowledge of patients and their conditions, with two members of staff reportedly not knowing what hypoglycaemia was and not knowing what action to take if a resident had an episode.
Relatives described the care home as “shabby” and “gloomy” and also criticised security, with one complaining that a resident’s patio door couldn’t lock. Inspectors found many bedrooms only had basic furnishings, stating: “Some people did have personalised items such as photos, but many rooms were bare and sterile and lacked any décor.”
Relatives were critical of the activities offered to residents as they felt they did not cater to people with dementia. One relative said: “[The resident] did a picture five or six months ago, but I’ve seen nothing since. There was a sensory room, I think. The stimulus for those with dementia does not exist.”
Staff told the CQC that activities could be better, with one member of staff saying that there were not enough activities for people with dementia.
Despite the numerous problems identified, the CQC did also interview patients and relatives who had positive things to say about Cedar Court, particularly care home staff. One resident told the CQC: “The carers are very kind and take the time to chat to me which is nice. I would go so far as to say they are wonderful.”
A relative said: “They [staff] are so caring here, and I know [person] is safe and comfortable. They are ‘full on’ supporting them.”
This was Cedar Court’s first CQC report since being taken over by MKR Healthcare in 2023, with the facility rated as ‘Good’ under its previous provider. The care home refused to comment on the findings of the new report.
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