A mental health home that cares for children and adolescents which was twice told to improve following focused inspections by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is celebrating after being rated Good.
An overall rating of 'requires improvement' was handed to The Lighthouse in Darwen in January 2022, although inspectors found the 'safe' area to be 'inadequate' as there were large gaps in the services provision which meant the home was unsafe for children.
As a result, the CQC served The Lighthouse with a warning notice and told staff they would need to make improvements by March 4 2022.
The inspection found that the service was not safe for children as it didn't have enough nursing and support staff to keep patients safe.
The report stated: "Due to our concerns and the need for the provider to make significant improvement we served a warning notice.”
The service had been inspected on two previous occasions and at the last inspection in 2021 requirement notices were issued in relation to breaches of regulations, which prompted The Lighthouse to hit out.
A spokesperson said they were frustrated that the regulatory body had formed an opinion about the service that wasn't 'reflective of actual situations'.
However, The Lighthouse has made significant improvements over the last year, which include the service being selected as a finalist in two categories at the Children and Young People 2022 awards.
It has also gone through a complete company restructure, with new directors taking over the running of the service, employing a new manager and a new staff team.
The most recent CQC inspection was carried out in June with a report published this week, giving The Lighthouse an overall rating of Good in all areas.
Highlights include staff treating children and young people with compassion and kindness, respecting their privacy and dignity; and staff understanding how to protect children and young people from abuse.
A spokesperson for Associated Wellbeing which runs The Lighthouse said: “We are delighted with the outcome of our CQC report, a lot of effort and learning has gone into making The Lighthouse a safe environment for our children.
“Our staff are passionate about providing quality care for our young people and it's through this passion and dedication that The Lighthouse has received a Good rating in every area.”
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