A care home in South London that specialises in supporting autistic people and those with learning disabilities has been told it must improve after inspectors found staff had not received adequate training. Thanet House in Streatham was rated 'Requires Improvement' in all five key areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection in February and March 2026.
Inspection triggered by safety concerns
The CQC said it carried out the inspection after receiving concerns about the safety and quality of care at the home, located at 50 Barrow Road. Thanet House had previously held a 'Good' rating but was downgraded. The provider, Thanet Healthcare Limited, did not respond to a request for comment from the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
In a report published on June 8, inspectors said: "Risks to people's safety were not always managed safely and the provider did not have robust processes in place to identify and mitigate risks to people's health and wellbeing." They also noted that people did not always receive person-centred care or support to access the community and work towards greater independence. The provider was operating CCTV without following national guidance to ensure people's rights were not affected.
Residents reported unkind staff
According to the report, residents told inspectors they did not always feel staff were kind, caring, or understanding of their needs. Some had recently raised concerns about staff conduct. Inspectors said the service had taken action to address these issues, but more time was needed before residents could feel "completely confident" in being treated with kindness and compassion.
Despite these concerns, inspectors observed positive interactions between staff and residents, and people spoke positively of some staff who knew them well. Staff were seen treating residents with sensitivity and compassion.
Training gaps and regulatory breaches
Recruitment processes were described as "not robust," and audits had failed to identify and fix issues with medicine records and person-centred care. Inspectors found four breaches of regulations concerning person-centred care, staffing, fit and proper persons employed, and good governance.
On safety, inspectors stated: "Although the service specialised in providing care to people with mental health conditions, autistic people, and people with a learning disability, not all staff had undertaken training in learning disability and autism. Most staff had not received mental health training, and training in managing distressed behaviours."
Effectiveness and responsiveness concerns
When assessing effectiveness, inspectors said the service did not routinely monitor care and treatment to continuously improve it, and outcomes were not always positive or consistent. On responsiveness, there were "shortfalls" in understanding the diverse health and care needs of residents, so care was not always joined up or flexible.
Leadership and governance failures
On how well-led the service was, inspectors said: "The service did not focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement. They did not always encourage creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcomes and quality of life for people. Persistent gaps in documentation, lack of robust auditing and failure to identify issues before the inspection showed effective learning systems were not embedded."
On March 27, the CQC issued a warning notice to Thanet Healthcare Limited for failing to operate effective governance and improve the quality and safety of services at Thanet House.
