A CARE home where residents are “at risk of abuse” has been put into special measures.

Rapkyns Care Centre in Horsham, known as The Grange, has been rated “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission.

The company which runs the home, Sussex Health Care, is under investigation by the police over allegations of wilful neglect.

Inspectors found some residents at Rapkyns, in Guildford Road, were not properly cared for after five needed hospital treatment for chest infections within the space of four months.

Another person who was found to have breathing problems had to be taken to hospital after their condition was not reported properly.

It was discovered one patient, suffering with epilepsy, was not being monitored while they slept as they would often roll off their bed onto a crash mat which had no epilepsy sensor installed.

Another person with epilepsy was allowed to sleep throughout the day without regular checks.

But Sussex Health Care, the company running Rapkyns among other “inadequate” care homes, rejected the inspectors’ findings, saying they “did not accept the reports in their entirety”.

The report also claimed a “significant” number of people at the care home were at risk of choking.

One resident was given chocolate despite only being able to swallow pureed food, while it was found there were times during mealtimes when no staff were trained in how to use a de-choker.

Another person, after being admitted to hospital with constipation, was not given proper medicine and sometimes did not have a bowel movement for two or three days.

Residents with feeding tubes were also not looked after properly, with one going 26 days without the tube being rotated, meaning stomach lining could have grown over it.

Though some staff were said to be caring, many residents were not treated with dignity, inspectors found.

One person was wheeled through reception in their swimming trunks, while another had to wait 45 minutes for a meal as others ate.

Other staff members used “condescending” language towards residents, according to the report.

Sussex Health Care said: “We are extremely disappointed with the CQC findings. Providing the highest-quality care for those we look after and support for their families is our utmost priority.

“We are investing heavily in all our services, ensuring we can continually improve the level of service we provide to the local community.

“We do not accept the CQC’s reports in their entirety, which we do not believe accurately reflects the levels of investment that is being put into our services.”

The report comes just weeks after Kingsmead Lodge, another Horsham home run by the company, also received an inadequate rating.

The watchdog had made a surprise inspection in January and released the report in April.

Inspectors said the home, which cares for ten people with learning disabilities, was “not safe”.

The watchdog also said Kingsmead Lodge “did not have a registered manager in place” and the service was not well-led.