The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Whitstable House

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Boorman Way, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 3SE (01227) 533522

Provided and run by:
Whitstable House Limited

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: 8 July to 18 July 2025. Whitstable House is a residential care home providing nursing and personal care to up to 101 adults some who may be living with dementia. We completed this assessment to follow up on enforcement action taken after our previous inspection. At our last inspection we identified 6 breaches of regulation including safe care, governance of the service, staffing, consent, safeguarding and maintaining people’s dignity. At this inspection, significant improvements had been made, and the service was no longer in breach of regulation.

There had been changes in the management of the service, there was a new registered and deputy manager in post. They had been effective in improving the culture within the service. Staff told us, they were now confident to raise concerns, and these would be dealt with in an open and transparent way. There were now effective systems in place to monitor the service, to identify shortfalls and act appropriately to rectify the shortfalls. Staff had received training and supervision to make sure they had skills needed to support people. Medicines management had improved, and people received their medicines as prescribed. Potential risks to people’s health and welfare had been assessed, incidents had been used as a learning opportunity.

This service has been in Special Measures since 12 February 2025. The provider demonstrated improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: 20 November 2024 to 5 December 2024. We completed this assessment due to concerns raised about risk management, staffing, management of the service and medicine management. We found there to be significant shortfalls, with 6 breaches of regulation relating safe care, governance of the service, staffing, gaining consent, safeguarding people and maintaining people’s dignity. In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/ or appeals have been concluded. The management and oversight of the service was poor, there was a closed culture within the service. Staff did not report incidents and when staff had raised concerns these were not acted upon. There were systems in place to monitor the service, but these had been ineffective, shortfalls had either not been identified or acted upon. People had been placed at risk as incidents had not been reported, investigated, or lessons learnt. Medicines management was poor, people did not receive their medicines as prescribed, and this impacted their wellbeing. Staff did not always have the skills to support people safely. Staff did not follow best practice guidance when assessing people’s capacity to consent and did not always respect people’s decisions.