THE BRIEF
❤️🩹 Care Home in Special Measures: The Care Quality Commission has put Ideal Care Services Kent into special measures. The Tunbridge Wells firm supports people in their own homes. The regulator rated it Inadequate after an inspection in July. Inspectors found six breaches of legal rules. These covered person-centred care, safe care, safeguarding, dignity, staffing and management. The service was supporting 24 people at the time.
Inspectors said poor guidance and training put people at significant risk of harm. Staff gave insulin injections to one person without proper oversight. Care plans for people with epilepsy lacked guidance on emergency medicines. One person said the provider threatened to remove their care package after they raised a concern.
Some people and relatives praised their carers. The regulator said this praise did not reflect the standard of care it found. The service held a Good rating after its previous inspection in 2022.
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🏑 Olympian Dies: Former Olympic hockey player Tim Lawson has died aged 82. Dr Lawson lived in Goudhurst and worked as a dentist. He died at Tunbridge Wells Hospital on 13th September after a fall at home. An inquest opened in Maidstone earlier in October. Born in Chingford in 1943, he won 33 caps for Scotland.
He helped Scotland win the Home Nations title in 1967. A year later he played for Great Britain at the Mexico City Olympics. He scored the team’s first goal of the tournament, against Argentina. He made 26 appearances for Great Britain in all. He studied dentistry at the Royal London Hospital.
He later moved to rural Kent with his wife, Lorna, and their two sons. He joined Marden Russets and helped the side win promotion. He also played golf at Rye and Dale Hill. In 2021, The Hockey Museum presented him with his Great Britain honours cap. Lorna died in 2017. He leaves sons Tony and Jeremy and four grandchildren.
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💉 Check Your Dog's Vaccinations: Vets are urging dog owners to check their pets’ vaccinations. Maidstone Borough Council confirmed cases of canine parvovirus in its area. Pennard Vets runs eight practices across the county. It has brought in precautions at its Maidstone branches. Owners of puppies or unvaccinated dogs must wait in their cars or carry their pets inside. The virus spreads easily.
It causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea and can kill, especially puppies and unvaccinated dogs. Practice principal Sarla Balse said a simple vaccine can prevent it. She said treating a sick dog costs far more than the jab. Some owners question yearly boosters. Some use blood tests to check immunity instead.
The vet said these tests cannot check for every disease, including leptospirosis. She added that serious vaccine reactions are rare. A 2024 University of Liverpool study found the share of dogs vaccinated within a year of a vet visit fell from 77% in 2016 to 69% in 2022.
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🌎 "American Covid": Thousands of people across Kent report cold and Covid-like symptoms. Many blame a so-called “American Covid” strain. Its official name is XFG, and some call it Stratus. The UK Health Security Agency says it has circulated in Britain for about a year. There is no evidence it causes more serious illness than earlier strains. Symptoms include a cough, sore throat, high temperature, headaches, aches and extreme tiredness.
Medway GP Dr Julian Spinks said he was not particularly concerned. He linked the rise in illness to the time of year, when people spend more time indoors. National data published on 29 October showed Covid activity falling and at low levels across England. The NHS offers autumn Covid jabs to people aged 75 and over, older care home residents and those with weakened immune systems.
People with a high temperature should stay home where possible. Those who must go out should avoid crowds, wear a face covering and wash their hands. Anyone whose symptoms get worse should contact their GP or NHS 111.
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