'Inadequate' care home put in special measures

A Surrey care home has been placed in special measures after inspectors found issues in tackling a scabies outbreak and residents who had not been washed for days.

Windmill Manor in Oxted has been downgraded from "good" to "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after inspectors visited the site in April following the death of a resident in 2025.

A report released on Friday said "undignified language" had been used in records, including references to residents wearing "nappies" and saying one presented "almost like a zombie".

A spokesperson for operator Barchester says it is "deeply concerned" by the findings and takes them "extremely seriously".

In the report, inspectors said they found that, over a two-week period, one resident did not receive a bath or shower, while another was only washed four times over the same period.

During a scabies outbreak, both relatives and staff had not been told the infection had returned, putting both groups at risk of contracting the disease, the report said.

Some residents and their families also reported they did not always feel safe or listened to, while people's consent was not always being sought before restrictions were placed on them, the inspectors reported.

Restrictions included some residents having medication hidden in their food without their knowledge.

The home, which cares for some patients who have been diagnosed with dementia, has also faced issues with residents being found in other people's bedrooms during the night, the report says.

Staff at the home who had also faced being hit by residents in distress had not received proper support in some cases, the report said.

In one instance, a staff member said: "The last time I got hit I informed the nurse, I cried, my head was spinning. The nurse gave me paracetamol.

"There was no debrief. The manager didn't come and see me. I felt neglected and that they didn't care."

The report comes after a coroner criticised staff at the care home during an inquest in December 2025, after a largely immobile dementia patient was not repositioned until she developed sores which contributed to her death.

Amy Jupp, CQC deputy director of adult social care in Surrey, said: "Too many people were not being kept safe.

"We have made it clear to leaders at Windmill Manor that immediate and significant improvements are required, and we will continue to monitor the service closely to ensure people are protected while those improvements are made."

A Barchester spokesperson says: "We are deeply concerned by the issues identified, and it is clear that aspects of care highlighted in the report were not of the standard we expect.

"We remain focused on embedding the required improvements at pace, and will continue to work closely with the CQC, local partners, staff, residents and families to ensure sustained progress and to deliver the safe, person centred care residents and families have the right to expect."

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