A Thamesmead care home has been rated inadequate and placed in ‘special measures’ after an inspection.

Brook House Care Centre in Meadowford Close off Thamesmere Drive was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) earlier this year.

In a report, published on November 17, inspectors wrote that low staffing levels meant residents did not recieve adequate care.

One person told inspectors that money had gone missing from their room and had not been investigated by staff and another said that ‘unexplained bruising’ had not been reported or recorded.

A key issue was low staffing levels and the use of agency nurses who were not familiar with the residents of the care home.

One resident said: "No, there is definitely a staff shortage, a lot of agency – a hell of a lot; they haven't a clue about the residents…. The carers are just run ragged…I have to go shopping today but I'm not sure I will get a chance to as they won't have time to take me."

Another person said: "There's a shortage all the time."

Only one relative said they thought there was enough staff, they said, "They are often busy, but there is always a staff member in the lounge."

An inspection of the night service at the care home revealed that one person was left distressed and ‘very tired’ and at 10.45pm had been waiting to go to bed ‘for some time’.

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Staff on the dementia unit were found to ignore people who attempted to interact with them, or ‘acknowledged them but not stop to find out what they wanted’.

The report also said that on the nursing unit staff were found to be rushed and not engaged in conversations.

One person quoted in the report said: "One or two of the senior carers are a bit bossy, and they might say, "ask someone else to do that, it's breaking my back."

Another person said: "Most of the staff are OK, a lot of them are lovely, some are nasty, it depends on their mood."

However a relative said: “The staff are lovely, they’re worth their weight in gold.”

Another criticism was that there was not enough to do in the home.

The report states: “We observed very little in the way of organised activities for people."

Brook House Care Centre were contacted for comment.