A member of staff at an inadequate north Norfolk care home thought legislation intended to safeguard vulnerable residents meant 'always being nice to people', a report revealed.
Staff at St Nicholas Care Home, in Sheringham, were found to 'not always treat people with respect', in a report rating it inadequate.
But the firm who run the home say the findings are due to a 'period of instability' after a manager quit the home.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who visited the home unannounced last year said: 'Not all of the staff inspectors spoke to had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA).'
They added: 'One member of staff thought that the MCA meant 'always being nice to people'.
'We heard one member of staff speaking in a curt way... saying 'stop that' [and] one person's relative told us that staff shouted at their family member once.'
The report also found people's dignity was not always upheld at the home; care records were not always updated; and staff were not responsive to people's needs.
At an earlier inspection the home was found to require improvement, but during the visit in November 2018, inspectors found standards had fallen.
They found safety risks at the home including: pressure ulcers; medicine safety audits not being handled properly; out-of-date records; and unreported accidents including unexplained bruising.
While some people said they felt safe at the home, staff's concerns were not always shared with the appropriate authorities, and the home was described as cold, unclean and having an odour.
Inspectors described a 'lack of processes' to monitor safety and noted 'no steps had been taken to address concerns'.
Shelina Rudd, director of ADR Care Homes, said: 'We are naturally concerned and disappointed with the findings of this report.
'We believe this follows a period of manager instability after the resignation of a manager.
'We have taken steps to remedy the situation through the appointment of outside consultants who are working with us at St Nicholas House to make significant changes to the management structure and day-to-day operations.
'We have and continue to invest significantly in improving the facilities and we are expanding the team at St Nicholas House, in order to deliver our vision for its turnaround.'
She added: 'We have put in place measures to prevent these issues reoccurring and we are committed to implementing person-centric approaches to have a positive impact on our residents' care.
'We will continue to work with the CQC to ensure good standards are consistently achieved and are confident of a good report when we are re-assessed.
'We are dedicated to providing compassionate, individual care and that is, as always, our priority.'
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