A CARE home has been given tips on how to improve, including providing cigarette bins for residents, following a visit from a health watchdog.

Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen representatives recently visited Old Gates Care Home, in Feniscowles, Blackburn.

After speaking with residents and staff members, they have made made a series of recommendations.

These include providing cigarette bins outside the Cherry unit for residents and personalising the doors of residents' rooms.

Other recommendations include further awareness and training for all staff on swift response to residents in a professional with regard to dignity and respect.

The care home have also been asked to move the activity noticeboard, increase signage for lounge and dining areas and to offer more activities/outings and opportunities for one to one interactions with staff.

They must inform Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen of actions in regard to these recommendations by December 31 this year.

The health watchdog is embarking on a series of Enter and View visits.

The visits to health and social care services are carried out to find out how they are being run and to make recommendations where there are areas for improvements.

Enter and View and Volunteer Coordinator Sharon Hardman said: "Enter and View visits are an important opportunity to encourage, support and influence service improvement by allowing local residents to share their experiences of health and social care services.’

Catherine Brierley, Registered Manager of Old Gates Home House said, “It was a pleasure to have the ladies from Healthwatch with us for the afternoon and they carried out the visit in a lovely way.

"We are one of the best staffed homes I have ever worked in with us consistently having staffing levels above our dependancy need.

"I know staff will always say they need more staff but in reality we are a very well staffed home.

"We are currently working towards these recommendations.”

Abdul Mulla, operations manager at Healthwatch Blackburn with Darwen said: "Through our Enter and View visits we will continue to strive and work with service providers to provide the highest quality of service for Blackburn residents.”