A CARE home has been told it must improve - just weeks after a redevelopment plan was blocked.

Nazareth House, London Road, Southend has been rated as requiring improvement by the Care Quality Commission following a special inspection.

In September, a planning application to demolish the existing buildings and replace them with a 77-bed care home, convent and 154 flats, was rejected by Southend Council.

Robert York, chief executive of the Sisters of Nazareth which runs the current home, said the proposal would allow them to create a new care facility that is “fit for purpose in 2018”.

He revealed some of the facilities meant the home was struggling to maintain or improve standards, something the inspector also suggested in the report.

The inspector added those running the site had “not ensured the property was refurbished regularly to ensure a pleasant living environment”.

Concerns were also raised about how medication is managed along with the condition of the sticky floors and stained carpet.

The inspection was bought forward to September after relatives reported “a high number of safeguarding issues”, adding that “loved ones were not receiving appropriate care to meet their needs”.

The report stated: “The service was using many agency staff to support the permanent staff whilst recruiting to vacant posts.

“The building was very large, spread over three floors on both sides and throughout our visits we saw how difficult it was for staff to respond to people’s needs in a timely manner.

“Relatives were particularly worried about the level of agency staff on the Marie Stella (residential) unit.

“They said that team leaders were left in charge of agency staff and this meant that people’s care needs were falling short, as the agency staff did not know or understand their relative’s needs.”

The home was rated as good in June 2017, before this latest inspection published on November 6.

It was rated as requires improvement in every inspection category.

The report added: “There were issues with medication management, and covert medication, however, we found that the service had an action plan in place to minimise any future risks to people.

“Although there were infection control policies in place, we found issues around cleaning the service. There were no cleaning schedules available and we found some kitchen floors to be sticky, and there were stained carpets in the hallways. “We also saw there were a number of broken wall and floor tiles around the service.” The provider Nazareth House had also not ensured that property was refurbished regularly to ensure a pleasant living environment.”

Nazareth House was originally built in the 1800s, and its owners feel it is out of date with current needs for adult care.

Nazareth House is operated by the Sisters of Nazareth and currently provides residential and nursing care for the elderly.