• Care Home
  • Care home

White Pearl House

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

3 Vincent Court, Blackburn, BB2 4LD (01254) 695376

Provided and run by:
White Pearl Care Ltd

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

White Pearl House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 5 younger adults living with mental health conditions, people with learning disabilities or autism. We assessed all quality statements under the five key questions of Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. We undertook site visits on the 15 and 19 January 2026. When we visited on the 19 January, this was out of hours.

 

The service had made improvements and was no longer in breach of regulations. Systems had been established to assess, monitor and mitigate risks to the health, safety and welfare of people using the service. Significant improvements had also been made which ensured medicines were managed safely. The registered manager had improved oversight of the service to ensure they assessed, monitored and improved the quality of the service. Improvements had also been made to ensure consent was being gained, which helped reduce the risk of abuse.

 

We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people; respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

 

The service had a good learning culture and people could raise concerns. The registered manager investigated incidents thoroughly. People were protected and kept safe. Staff understood and managed risks. The facilities met the needs of people, were clean and well-maintained and risks were mitigated. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience, though recruitment practices needed some improvement and the registered manager offered us assurance that necessary improvements would be made. The registered manager made sure staff received training and regular appraisals to maintain high-quality care. Staff mostly managed medicines well.

 

People were involved in the assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. People always had enough to eat and drink to stay healthy. Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions. They monitored people’s health to support healthy living. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent. Staff involved those important to people and made decisions in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity.

 

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. Staff responded to people in a timely way. The service supported staff wellbeing.

 

The service provided information people could understand. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The service was easy to access and worked to eliminate discrimination. People received fair and equal care and treatment. The service worked to reduce health and care inequalities through training and feedback. People were involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing to withdraw or not receive care. Some work was needed to ensure end of life information and staff knowledge in this area was appropriate and in place. The registered manager assured us this would be actioned.

 

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. The registered manager worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. There was a culture of continuous improvement. Audits and oversight was in place, though some minor improvements were needed in this area to ensure all risks were identified. The registered manager made changes to audits during our inspection to offer assurances in this area.

21 November 2023

During a routine inspection

About the service

White Pearl House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 5 people. The service provides support to younger adults with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and mental health. At the time of our inspection there were 3 people using the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support

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. Reviews were taking place to ensure the design of the service was meeting people’s needs. There were enough skilled and experienced staff to safely care for people and recruitment processes were safe. We were assured IPC practices were safe. Staff supported people to maintain relationships, follow their interests and take part in activities.

Right Care

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.

Right Culture

Governance systems were not effective at improving the quality and safety of the service. Audits did not always identify concerns found during the inspection and there was no evidence of provider oversight. There was limited evidence of lessons learnt following on from an incident, we made a recommendation about this. There was a complaints procedure in place and relative feedback was sought. Staff attended regular meetings and supervisions and they felt comfortable raising concerns. People’s communication needs were considered.

For more details, please see the full report for White Pearl House which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 17 January 2023). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

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.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to the health and safety of people living at this service, medicines management, consent and good governance at this inspection. We made recommendations in relation to lessons learnt processes and support plans.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

22 November 2022

During a routine inspection

About the service

White Pearl House is a residential care home providing accommodation for persons who require personal care to up to 5 people. It is a single, detached building spread over two floors. The service provides support to younger adults with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders or mental health. At the time of our inspection there was 1 person using the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support

Staff spoke positively about promoting and encouraging independence for people that used the service. They had received training that was in line with the needs of the people they supported. Staff supported people who used the service to achieve positive outcomes and attend meaningful activities in their local community. Staffing levels were robust and staff members spoke positively about teamwork and staff morale. However, recruitment checks had not always been carried out correctly and were not always completed before staff members joined the service.

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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Right Care

Staff worked closely with external agencies to ensure the health needs of people who used the service were met. Risk assessments were in place and staff spoke about how they followed these when supporting people who used the service. However, risk assessments relating to individual health needs for people using the service were not always in place. Medicines were administered correctly however robust medicines checks were not always in place. Infection control practices did not always follow guidance at the time of the inspection, we made a recommendation about this. Staff told us how they promoted the values of privacy, dignity and equality when supporting people. Care records were detailed and were reviewed regularly. Staff demonstrated knowledge in how to support people who used the service in line with their wants, needs and preferences.

Right culture

Staff members spoke positively about a culture of learning and development. They told us that the management team at the home were encouraging and supportive. Staff spoke about inclusivity and examples of this were evidenced in meetings and supervisions. Relatives of people who used the service spoke highly of both management and the support staff and felt included in the care planning process for people who used the service. However, systems for monitoring and managing quality were not always in place.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 17 June 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to the monitoring of medicines, risk, recruitment checks and quality checks at this inspection. The provider has taken steps to mitigate the risks. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

We have made a recommendation about managing infection control.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.