Care home closed following inadequate ratings

A care home and care agency in Kent has been closed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a series of inadequate ratings.

The White House care home in Chatham is run by Curant Care Homes Limited and cares for up to 38 older people, some of whom have dementia.

The residential home was inspected by the CQC on four occasions and rated inadequate after each visit. The last inspection was in March 2025.

Lara Ben Aicha, managing director of Curant Care Homes, said the decision had been made "with great sadness".

Catriona Eglinton, CQC deputy director of adult social care in Kent, said: "It's always a last resort for CQC to take action which results in a place people call home closing."

Eglinton also said during the latest inspection inspectors found "the home didn't ensure people were living meaningful lives".

"There was very little for them to do," she said. "One person told us they hated living there and said there was never anything to do.

"As a result, all people living there will be supported to move to alternative care settings. "

CQC inspectors also found leaders did not identify or address a closed culture, allowing harm and the risk of harm to go unchallenged.

Staff did not manage medicines safely, as they pre-signed medicine records before administration, inspectors said.

They also found the service did not maintain clean environments, with communal bathrooms and people's bedrooms left dirty.

Aicha, from Curant Care Homes, said: "We are proud of the many positive aspects of the service, some of which we feel were not fully reflected in the report.

"I would personally like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated team, who worked tirelessly and built strong, meaningful relationships with residents and their families."

Curant Care Homes appealed the closure decision to the Care Standards Tribunal but later withdrew the appeal.

The company said it had decided to withdraw its appeal and close the home in everyone's best interest, adding it had worked closely with the local council to ensure each resident was moved with "care, dignity, and received the appropriate support".

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