Care home residents ‘neglected’
A MAIDSTONE care home has been given a damning indict- ment for neglecting its residents and failing to protect their safety and welfare. Four warning notices were is-
sued to owners of The Oast Home for the Elderly, in Plains Avenue, following an unan- nounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January. Jasiree and Balkissoon Nemc-
hand have been given a formal warning that they must make urgent improvements. If a future inspection finds
they have failed to comply, the couple could face prosecution
A happy carousel By Dennis Fowle
CAROUSEL revolved happily for two hours at the Hazlitt Theatre under the skilful guid- ance of Maidstone Amateur Operatic Society. The storyline may beggar credibility at times – but the show thrives on such classic numbers as: ‘You’ll NeverWalk Alone,’ ‘June is Bustin’ Out All Over’ and ‘If I Loved You.’ The society did the show
proud – nonemore so than Ben Smyth as Billy, Kathryn Nor- man as Julie and Julie Argent with her powerful voice as Net- tie. And you never knewwhich role Barry Reynolds would be taking on with aplomb next. They kept plucking the heart- strings of the audience with a mixture of laughter and tears. The show is so varied it gives
many a chance to shine – and opportunities were well taken. Katie Phillips danced beauti- fully as Louise. I loved the colourful singing
and dancing groups and none more so than the Snow Chil- dren. You cannot take your eyes off the very little ones.
Cobtree zoo plan Continued from page one
attractions, the committee was told. A feasibility study has al- ready been commissioned to consider linking the park with the towpath at Allington Lock, creating a riversidewalk through to Tonbridge. If the funds are forthcoming, a zoo-themed play area will be the first project, followed by general park improvements, including the creation of picnic areas and a pond-viewing platform. Phase Three will involve turn-
ing the former elephant house into a visitor centre with educa- tional resources, café and shop. Alocal art group would also like to set up a workshop and gallery and the council is looking at in- corporating zoo-themed sculp- tures in the park.
There are a number of organ- ised walks in the park during the summer, including bird and bat- watching and mini-beast trails. Info:
www.cobtreepark.co.uk
14 East Alex Turner, SharonManning from Homestart and Cllr Jenny Whittle at the launch Fund aims to help town’s families
A NEW charity focusing on Maidstone families has been launched – and re- ceived its first big donations. Help aMaidstone Childwas set up by
Maidstone Children’s Board in conjunc- tion with Voluntary Action Maidstone. It was launched by KCC’s cabinet member for specialist children’s serv- ices,Cllr Jenny Whittle (Con), at theCel- ebration of Children’s Services, held at the Hazlitt Arts Centre. TheKent-basedBrook Trusthas said it
will donate £1,000 to the cause, as has Golding Homes. The fund aims to “increase the life chances and wellbeing of children in
Maidstone and reduce inequalities”. The Kent Community Foundation,
based in Ashford, will oversee and ad- minister the fund and donations should be sent toKent CommunityFoundation, Evegate Park Barn, Evegate Business Park, Evegate, Ashford, TN25 6SX marked “Help aMaidstone Child”. Chairman of the fund, Alex Turner,
said: “Maidstone has its own problems, someof whichstemfromhomelessness or domestic violence, and we see this venture as a case where charity really does begin at home.” The charity has the backing of both KCC and Maidstone Borough Council.
and the home could be closed. Inspectors first visited The
Oast in October last year. They found some residents left in their rooms with little or no pri- vacy. Others were left unsuper- vised for long periods of time with nothing to occupy them or any mental stimulation. Menus were lacking in nutri-
tion and imagination and there was evidence that some resi- dents were thirsty and dehy- drated, while others had lost large amounts of weight. Staff struggled to prepare
meals from available supplies and often resorted to buying food with their own money, for
which they were reimbursed. Furthermore, they had not sought advice from healthcare professionals about special diets for people with diabetes. A typical menu would include mashed potato and tinned spaghetti, with spam fritters or cauliflower cheese. When they returned in Janu-
ary, inspectors identified con- cerns that people were not protected from the risks of inad- equate nutrition and hydration. Inspectors also found that res- idents were not protected against the risks associated with unsafe or unsuitable premises. Maintenance was not up to
date, and parts of the home were in need of urgent improve- ments. Care plans and risk as- sessments were not up to date. Areas of the homewere unhy- gienic, with dirty shower room floors and no paper towels in any of the dispensers in the toi- lets. Instead, hand towels were used, which put residents at greater risk of infection. Ian Biggs, deputy director of
CQC in the south, said: “Our in- spectors will return in the near future. If we find the home is not making progress we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers to protect the people who live there.”
Young artists invited to design
charity’s logo YOUNG people are in- vited to enter a competi- tion to design the fund’s logo.
Thereare four age cat- egories for entry: up to four,fiveto11, 12 to 16 and 17 to 24 years old. An overallwinnerwillbe chosen. Judging will take place
soon after the closing date of May 14, and the winners will be an- nounced in June. Local Maidstone busi-
nessessuchasHead and Hart Jewellers, AMF Bowling and The Enter- tainer toy store have al- ready donated some great prizes for the com- petition and others will be announced. The Switch Café will
be running the competi- tion, and details can be found on its website at
www.switchcafe.co.uk, as can details of how to donate prizes.
Get the best from your spuds A MAN who grew up in Wordsworth Road, Maidstone, has released a book on potatoes. Alan Wilson, who went to North Borough
Junior and Vinters Boys’ schools, has penned The People’s Potatoes, which claims to be the definitive guide to buying and growing your own spuds. Alan worked for Waitrose for 38 years, the last 15 as a technical manager for agronomy.
Appeal to save car park RESIDENTS and traders in the Brunswick Street area of Maidstone have handed a heartfelt plea to the council not to close their car park. Proposals by Maidstone Borough Council to sell the
site of the Brunswick Street car park have been put on hold pending further reports, but local people say the closure would be a disaster. Resident Pauline Barcroft, who was one of several campaigners to hand a 1,858-name petition to coun- cil leader Chris Garland and cabinet member for the environment Cllr Marion Ring, said: “The closure would not just affect people who live in the area, but also local businesses.”
Separate home plan for annex A PLANNING application has been lodged to convert an existing annex into an independ- ent home at 17Willington Street, Bearsted. According to the planning statement, the one-bedroom property has been used as an annex for an elderly relative for a number of years. Maidstone council will decide on the scheme
Residential home plan A RETROSPECTIVE plan has been submit- ted to convert the Ruby Residential Care Home into a single dwelling in Chatham Road, Sandling.
You can e-mail the Downs Mail —
info@downsmail.co.uk
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