A CARE home has been placed in special measures after being rated as ‘inadequate’ by its watchdog.

White Ash Brook in Oswaldtwistle was given the lowest rating following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.

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In a report, the CQC rated the service’s safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership as ‘inadequate’.

It added that the level of caring at the centre ‘required improvement’.

The report comes after the Thwaites Road home was graded as ‘good’ in January, although it was criticised in a series of reports in 2014.

Issues including insufficient staffing levels and infection control not being managed well have been raised in the latest report.

Residents’ nutritional needs were not effectively monitored, according to the watchdog, as well dignity being comprised because staff did not have time to respond to requests for assistance.

The report also stated that some relatives said that not all issues were dealt with appropriately and the quality assurance and auditing processes were “not effective”.

A spokesman for the CQC said: “Before this inspection, we had received concerns regarding inadequate staffing levels and details of how this was impacting on the care people were receiving.

“During this inspection we found staffing levels were not sufficient to ensure people’s care and welfare.

“People told us they felt safe in the home and they were treated well by staff.

“However, people also told us they did not get the attention they needed when they needed it.

“This had impacted on their wellbeing and we saw occasions during our visit where people’s dignity had been compromised as a result.

“During this inspection, we found infection control was not being managed appropriately.

“This meant people were at increased risk of contracting an infection.

“We found people’s charts had gaps in recording, which made it difficult to determine whether they were receiving their care safely and appropriately.”

White Ash Brook was unavailable for comment yesterday.