Blackpool care home 'Requires Improvement' after Care Quality Commission finds medication management issues
Blackpool care home told to improve by watchdog.
A Blackpool care home has been rated "Requires improvement" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after inspectors identified concerns over staffing, governance and medication management.
Adalena House on Reads Avenue, is registered to provide accommodation and personal or nursing care for up to six people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and autistic people. At the time of the inspection, all six places were occupied.
The assessment took place between March 4 and April 10, 2026, and reviewed the quality of care and compliance with legal regulations. Overall, the home was rated Requires improvement, with the CQC rating it Requires improvement for the categories ‘Safe’ and ‘Well-led’. It was rated Good in the categories ‘Effective’, ‘Caring’, and ‘Responsive’.
Breaches of regulations identified
Inspectors found the provider was in breach of legal regulations relating to safe staffing and governance and oversight.
The report said staff were not always recruited safely, while inspectors could not be assured staffing levels were consistently safe. Staff rotas reviewed during the inspection were not always accurate and showed some employees had worked long hours in breach of working time regulations.
The CQC also found medications were not always stored or managed safely.
Although staff reviewed people's communication, personal and health needs, these reviews were not consistently documented. Inspectors also found care was not always based on the latest evidence and good practice, and it was not always clear that people had been involved in assessing their own needs.
The watchdog assessed the service against its "Right support, right care, right culture" guidance for people with learning disabilities and autistic people. While it said the service demonstrated an understanding of the guidance, it found it was not always applied in practice.
Inspectors also noted that staff did not always involve those important to people when making best-interest decisions, and records did not always show that the least restrictive options had been considered.
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Positive feedback from families
Despite the concerns, the report highlighted a number of positive findings. Relatives told inspectors they believed their family members were safe and well cared for, praising the registered manager and staff for being warm, kind and welcoming. People living at the home also said they were happy and enjoyed living there.
Inspectors found staff communicated effectively with residents and responded quickly to both verbal and non-verbal cues. They understood when people became distressed and were aware of strategies to reduce anxiety, although these approaches were not always formally documented.
The report also found people had enough to eat and drink, staff worked with other healthcare agencies to support positive outcomes, and residents were encouraged to maintain contact with family and friends through telephone calls and visits.
Staff were praised for treating people with kindness and compassion while protecting their privacy and dignity. However, inspectors noted residents were not always treated as individuals, observing staff referring to people collectively as "the gang" and "the boys".
The CQC concluded that systems and processes to identify concerns and drive improvements were not always effective and has requested an action plan from the provider to address the issues identified during the inspection.