A failing care home is showing signs of improvement.

After an inspection at the beginning of the year the Little Oyster residential home was rated “inadequate” and put in special measures by the county council.

A further visit in June saw it upgraded to “requires improvement”, but despite positive developments since the summer, the site at The Leas in Minster, on Sheppey, kept that rating in its last report.

Three inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) revisited the troubled home in September, having previously visited in January.

A report, published last Thursday, revealed the site “required improvement” in its safety and how it was led.

However, it was graded “good” in three of five categories, including whether the effective, caring and responsive.

The care home was put under the spotlight in 2021 after resident Terry Raymond, 41, was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital after falling at the Seaside Avenue home.

Mr Raymond’s sister, Tarnia Harrison, previously criticised her brother’s care, adding: “I was watching my brother fade away. His needs, both medically, physically and mentally, were not being met and I was powerless to stop it. I watched my brother deteriorate rapidly over a five-month period."

Little Oyster can provide accommodation for up to 64 people, but at the time of the inspection only 15 people were using it.

The most recent report stated the home did not always manage fire safety risks well and some accidents and incidents weren’t addressed in a timely manner.

Inspectors also raised some concerns about how the staff should follow national guidelines on disposing of certain medicines as some guidelines weren’t being followed.

Speaking about safeguarding, the report said: “People were protected from the risk of abuse. Safeguarding concerns had been reported to the local authority and the management team and staff cooperated with investigations.

“The registered manager had a comprehensive safeguarding log which included an index and tracker to monitor progress and closure. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding and knew how to report signs of abuse and to whom.

“Staff were confident actions would be taken if they were to report something.”

The care home was praised for improving how residents’ nutrition and fluid intake was being recorded, but admitted there was still some inconsistency in meal records noting down what people had eaten.

The report continued: “People we spoke to told us they liked living in the service and were happy there. A person told us: ’You will be pleasantly surprised, they have been working hard to make lots of improvements.’

“Staff told us they liked working in the service and the new manager was supportive and approachable. Staff told us the new systems being implemented were good. A staff member told us: ‘I think there has been improvement, everyone has worked so hard.’"

You can read the report here.

Little Oyster manager Sandra Mercer said: “We are working closely with the CQC and have already taken some significant steps forward.

“Improvements made across Little Oyster Residential Home have recently resulted in a ‘good’ rating by the CQC in three out of five of the key questions rated at our recent inspection. We are committed to ensuring that progress continues in the weeks ahead’.”