A Blackburn care home has been told to improve for the second year running following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

White Pearl House in Vincent Court was registered with CQC in June 2021 and in its first inspection last January, it was told improvement was needed.

Not much appears to have changed in 2023, as the home has once again been graded as requires improvement following an inspection on November 21.

The home provides accommodation for up to five people who require personal care.

READ MORE: Burnley care home rated ‘requires improvement’ by CQC

It provides support to younger adults with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders, or mental health issues.

Inspectors assessed key areas of the home and found the safety, effectiveness, and leadership of the home to be the areas lacking. The care and responsiveness were rated as good.

The report, which was published on December 30, said: “Risks to people's safety were not always identified or managed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. However, the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice as capacity assessments and consent to care forms were not always in place.

“Medicines were not always being stored and managed safely. People's needs were assessed prior to them starting to use this service. However, work was needed to ensure support plans were accurate and up to date. We made a recommendation about this. People were treated well and their privacy, dignity and independence was respected.

“The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the care and treatment people were receiving at this service and to follow up on actions we told the provider to take at the last inspection. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.”

CQC said they spoke with one person who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. They also spoke with seven staff including the team leader, activity coordinator, care workers, quality lead, and the registered manager.

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With regard to whether the home is well-led, the report said: “At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. The rating for this key question has remained requires improvement. This meant the service management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.”

Regarding the effectiveness of the service, it said: "At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant the effectiveness of people's care, treatment and support did not always achieve good outcomes or was inconsistent.”

On the safety of the service, it said: “At our last inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. The rating for this key question has remained requires improvement. This meant some aspects of the service were not always safe and there was limited assurance about safety. There was an increased risk that people could be harmed.”