Care home told it must improve

lived in the building and, during an unplanned fire drill, initially moving residents towards a possible source of fire.

Faeces was noticed on toilet seats in a shower room, disabled toilet and bathroom in the morning and afternoon and was still present after 6pm. Two years ago the home was in the headlines following the death of an elderly woman with appalling pressure sores.

The daughters of the 91-year-old criticised standards of cleanliness at the home following their mother’s death. She had been a resident at the home since 2007.

White Rose House is operated by Darlington-based HC-One. A spokesperson said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of all our residents is our top priority, and we take all feedback from the Care Quality Commission very seriously.

“We acted immediately to address the CQC’s concerns with a rigorous action plan to ensure the level of care at White Rose House is at the high standard we expect across all HC-One homes.

“Staff and residents at White Rose House have been fully supported with daily visits from the HC-One regional team, and a new permanent home manager is due to start imminently.

“Whilst we are working hard to make all the improvements needed, we have also noted the CQC’s positive comments about the caring approach of the home’s staff and the varied amount of activities available to residents. We are confident we will have made significant progress by our next inspection.”