Pilgrims Way Care Home Maidstone Put in Special Measures

A nursing home on Bower Mount Road in Maidstone has been rated inadequate and placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Pilgrims Way Care Home with Nursing was previously rated good.

The regulator published its report on 15 October 2026. Inspectors found five breaches of the legal regulations (CQC profile, Pilgrims Way Care Home with Nursing).

The CQC also issued warning notices to the provider, Pilgrims Way Limited, on 26 August 2026. They were for failing to provide safe care and treatment and for failing on good governance.

What the inspectors found

The assessment ran from 11 to 25 August 2026, with a visit to the home on 11 August. The CQC says it went in because of concerns about how the service was managed. At the time, 48 people were receiving care there (CQC assessment report, published 15 October 2026).

The five breaches were in:

• safe care and treatment
• need for consent
• person-centred care
• good governance
• notifying the CQC

The report’s specific findings include:

• Missed medicine. One person missed a prescribed medicine for two nights in a row because the home had run out and no prescription had been issued. The person suffered side effects.
• Safeguarding not reported. No safeguarding concern was raised when one resident assaulted another, or when one person made unwanted physical contact with another.
• Notifications not sent. Incidents that must by law be reported to the CQC were not reported.
• Fire safety. Fire drills did not practise evacuation. One member of staff did not know how to use the evacuation equipment.
• A door that could not be opened from inside. A sign on one person’s door told staff not to close it. Staff said this had been the case for two weeks, so the door was left open at night.
• Falls not analysed. There were nine falls in June and July, with no look at trends.
• Training gaps, including safeguarding, first aid, end-of-life care and supporting people with diabetes.

These come from the report’s safe and well-led sections.

The ratings

Inspectors also recorded what was working. The home was mostly clean. Recruitment checks, including DBS checks, had been done. A GP surgery’s staff visited every week. Time-critical medicines were seen being given on time. One relative told inspectors their family member was kept “comfortable” and “safe”. Feedback overall was mixed, and some people said they waited too long when they pressed the call bell.

How it got here

Pilgrims Way was rated good in December 2018. A further assessment in November and December 2024, prompted by concerns about staffing and risk, found improvements were needed but no breaches. Medicines were then managed safely, the CQC said (CQC reports and timeline).

This year’s report says standards had “significantly decreased” since then. It found the home had drawn up an action plan in May 2026, but that fire drill concerns in that plan had still not been dealt with by August.

The home is registered for up to 76 people. A 2023 report said changes to the building meant it could take 58.

What special measures means

The CQC says special measures give a timeframe in which a provider must improve. The regulator says it is a framework within which it uses its enforcement powers in response to inadequate care.

The CQC says it may publish further regulatory action once any representations or appeals have finished. The provider has the right to make those representations.

What it means for you

• If you have a relative at Pilgrims Way, you can read the full report section by section, and ask the home what is in its action plan.
• If you are choosing a care home, each home’s latest rating is on its CQC profile. Check the date of the last inspection as well as the rating.
• If you are worried about someone’s care, you can tell the CQC. Concerns about abuse or neglect of an adult go to Kent County Council. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.

If Pilgrims Way Limited wants to respond to this report, we will add its response here.