A care home left without a manager for nearly two years has been placed in special measures.

Lavender Fields has been rated as “inadequate” by the health watchdog following an inspection that uncovered a “culture of complacency”.

The service, based in Seal, near Sevenoaks, provides accommodation and personal care for up to 75 older people and those living with dementia.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out visits between June 18 to July 8, where they identified seven breaches of person-centred care, safeguarding, safe care and treatment, need for consent, staffing, dignity and respect, and good management of the service.

A spokesperson for Lavender Fields said substantive steps have already been taken since the inspection and a new management team is in place working closely with the health and social care watchdog “to ensure progress is made quickly while embedding long-term, sustainable changes”.

At the time of the CQC’s visit, there were 69 residents living at the care home.

In a damning report, published today (October 17), assessors found it had not had a registered manager for more than 600 days, with a series of temporary managers coming and going.

CQC deputy director of operations in Kent, Serena Coleman said: “When we inspected Lavender Fields Care Home, we found a service where people were not receiving the safe and dignified care, they have every right to expect.

“Leaders had failed to maintain good management of the service, and that failure had allowed unsafe practices and poor standards to become routine.”

Staff reported rarely seeing senior management. They told inspectors there was a “blame culture” and felt some members would be “scapegoated” if things went wrong.

The service also used untrained and unsupervised staff to make decisions about people’s health needs.

Ms Coleman said: “People told us that while individual staff were kind, the constant use of agency workers and lack of stable management meant they rarely received consistent care.

“Staff were often placed in situations where they were expected to make complex decisions without the right support, training or guidance. This left both staff and residents vulnerable.”

She added: “We also found that when things went wrong, leaders didn’t learn from them.

Incidents that should have triggered urgent reviews and safeguarding actions were too often ignored.”

“A culture of complacency had developed, and people’s voices were not being heard.”

In one case, a resident suffered a severe fall that resulted in injury and was taken to hospital, but continued to have further falls after being discharged.

During the visit, inspectors discovered a review of incidents had not been taken since December 2024.

Staff also did not always give people prescribed medicines when they needed to be taken, including time-critical medicines for Parkinson’s disease.

Records also showed further neglect, when one person’s catheter change, which had been due in February 2025, had no confirmation of being completed by June, and members had no record or awareness of when it was last done.

Following the inspection, the CQC says it has suspended the ratings of the service in the High Street, and it will be closely monitored while required improvements are made.

Its overall rating has been downgraded from “good” to “inadequate”.

“A culture of complacency had developed, and people’s voices were not being heard...”

Ms Coleman said: “We expect leaders in every care service to take personal responsibility for ensuring people are treated with compassion, respect and skill.

“Lavender Fields must act quickly to rebuild confidence, provide staff with proper training and supervision, and create an open, learning culture where safety and quality come first.

“We will continue to monitor the service closely and will not hesitate to take further action if significant improvements are not made.”

A spokesperson for Lavender Fields said: “We fully accept the findings of the CQC inspection at Lavender Fields earlier in the summer.

“Substantive steps have already been taken, and a new management team is in place working closely with the CQC and our local partners to ensure progress is made quickly while embedding long-term, sustainable changes.”

“Like many care providers, we have faced pressures including staffing challenges and other operational issues which have affected our performance, but we take full responsibility for our care in Sevenoaks.

“The standards we have provided have not been good enough, and we are confident we can make the necessary improvements and avoid further regulatory action.”

“Two years ago, the home was rated ‘Good’ and we are determined to ensure Lavender Fields returns to being a safe, thriving, and welcoming environment for local people, and that it remains in support of the community for many years to come.

“Residents, their families, and our colleagues are at the heart of everything we do, and their safety and well-being are our top priorities.

“Our focus is on learning from this inspection, supporting our dedicated team, and making sure residents feel safe, respected, and cared for.”