A care home in Burnley which has been downgraded from ‘good’ has been told it must improve by Care Quality Commission inspectors.

Abbey Grange Care Home in Glen View Road, Burnley, is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 25 elderly people and those living with dementia or a physical disability.

At the time of the inspection there were 20 people living there.

The care home was inspected in 2018 and received an overall rating of ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

However, after its inspection on April 5 and 6 this year, a full report published on May 31, dowgraded this rating.

Three of the five areas - safe, effective, and well-led - were marked as ‘requires improvement’ as the report highlights issues with assessing risk, safety monitoring and management.

Inspectors found one person’s care record said they could move around on their own, however an assessment from the occupational therapist contradicted this, stating “a hoist must be used at all times”.

Weekly fire alarm tests had not been completed since January and inspectors couldn’t find evidence that fire drills or mock evacuations were being carried out.

The care home took “immediate action to rectify this” after the inspection.

Inspectors found evidence of a controlled drug that was not being recorded properly and “on one occasion, the stock held of a controlled drug did not match the controlled drugs register”.

The “poor record keeping of medicines” was a breach of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 regulations.

The report states people’s needs were assessed but recording of people’s weights had not been completed frequently.

Inspectors did note that people were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Residents said: “I get a choice, the cook visits everyone each morning to ask what we want for our meals that day.

"I also get drinks and snacks through the day too. I can choose where to eat my meals.”

The area of "well-led" was also rated "requires improvement" with inspectors finding regular health and safety checks were not always in place, which inspectors say “could have identified the issues we found with health and safety in the safe section.”

The areas of “caring” and “responsive” were rated as good with the report praising the home for its positive feedback.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff approach, and staff knew the people they supported well.

The report states: “There were systems in place for people to express their views on the care they received, although they were not always effective. We made a recommendation about this.

“People we spoke to enjoyed living at the home and their relatives did not have any complaints or concerns.”

Abbey Grange Care Home declined to comment on the outcome of the inspection.