A CARE home was told it must improve its standards of care, following an inspection by a watchdog.

A Care Quality Commission report said Belgarth Care Home, in Wheatley Lane Road, Barrowford was not doing all it could to ensure the welfare of its service users and was not fully co-operating with other providers or keeping patient records up to date.

Home manager Lynne Frankland said the issues raised in the report had now been dealt with, and the home was now meeting all of the standards.

The home failed to meet three of the five standards that the health and social care regulator inspected.

The report stated: “Reviews had not been completed at regular intervals or when people’s needs changed so people’s care plans did not reflect their current needs and may result in inappropriate care.

“One person was assessed at ‘high risk’ of developing pressure sores but instructions in the care plan had not been reviewed despite a change in their health. Another person’s mobility had deteriorated but the information in the care plan was not reflective of their needs.

“Routine health check records, such as blood pressure checks and weights, had not been kept up to date. One person had lost considerable weight which had not been recognised or responded to in a timely way.

“We also noted some less positive interactions such as staff not explaining their intentions to people, such as moving them in a chair, and talking about people's disabilities in a disrespectful manner and in communal areas.”

Mrs Frankland, who began managing the care home in March, said: “Since the inspection, we have been audited and our records are all up-to-date and will stay that way with regular audits.

“All the staff have since undergone further training and we have recruited two activities co-ordinators. We are confident we are now meeting all national standards and that our users are happy and well cared for.”

The report did also include comments from residents who said they were happy with the service and how they had been looked after, and made very positive comments about the staff team.

The CQC has referred its findings to the local authority’s Safeguarding department.