Care residents not treated with dignity, says CQC

A dementia care service in special measures is still not treating people with dignity, the watchdog has found.

Swan Care Home in Tillingham, on the Dengie peninsula in Essex, was placed into special measures following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in December 2025 which identified nine breaches of regulations.

After follow-up inspections in May and June, the CQC said there was still continued poor practice and eight regulation breaches were picked out.

A spokesperson for the care home said it was "deeply concerned" that "aspects of the care identified" by inspectors "did not meet" the required standards.

Swan Care Home is a residential care home - run by Airaa Swaan Ltd - and it supports people living with dementia.

While it has the capacity to care for up to 21 people, at the time of the inspection there were 10 people living there.

Essex County Council had stopped any new admissions due to quality and safety concerns.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the CQC said records for the home described residents as "aggressive", "soiled" and "so smelly".

Continence care was discussed in shared spaces and scented baby nappy bags were on display alongside PPE in the hallway, which the CQC described as undignified.

The care home spokesperson said: "[We] are deeply concerned that aspects of the care identified during the inspection did not meet the standards residents and their families are entitled to expect.

"We particularly recognise the concerns relating to dignity, respect and person-centred care.

"The language highlighted in the report is unacceptable and does not reflect the values or standards we expect at Swan Care Home."

Since the inspection it said it had implemented a comprehensive improvement programme, strengthened leadership and governance arrangements, reviewed care plans and records and provided staff with face-to-face training across a range of areas.

"Our priority is to provide safe, compassionate and person-centred care in which every resident is treated with kindness, dignity and respect," they added.

When the CQC places a care provider in special measures, it sets a timeline for it to show improvement, and the regulator can stop it operating by suspending its registration.

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