St Aidan’s short breaks service in the Mill Hill area of Blackburn has kept its ‘good’ rating from the Care Quality Commission after a full inspection in February and March 2026.
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The service provides short break and respite accommodation for people living with learning disabilities, with space for up to six people at a time.
Inspectors assessed the service against the CQC’s Right support, Right care, Right culture guidance, looking at whether people were treated with respect, dignity and given choices and access to local communities.
The report said guests experienced kindness, care and compassion, and that staff had positive and meaningful relationships with people with high levels of need.
It also said: “The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.”
Inspectors said St Aidan’s regularly reviews health, care, wellbeing and communication needs to help keep people safe and make its support more effective.
Families and guests said they felt welcome at the service, and the report praised the management team as “consistently managed and well-led… Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.”
It also highlighted strong working relationships between staff and health professionals.
One family member told inspectors: “I’m generally very, very happy with everything… I feel relaxed when [name] stays there, happy and confident”.
The February and March 2026 inspection was the first full CQC inspection at St Aidan’s since 2017, when it also received a ‘good’ rating. A light-touch inspection took place in 2022.
Mark Warren, Strategic Director of Adults and Health at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “We’re delighted to retain the ‘good’ rating for St Aidan’s. I’m immensely proud of the inspectors’ views on the staff team at St Aidan’s and the care, respect and compassion they show to all guests – and the inspection outcome reflects their hard work.
“We understand how difficult it can be for families to entrust their loved ones to a care service, and it was fantastic to hear relatives say that they feel happy and confident that they are safe in St Aidan’s.
“As with all our regulated services, we strive for outstanding. We will use the CQC’s findings to improve further.
“In order to continually improve the service to our residents, we continue to update our approaches as part of a wider review and transformation of our provider services. We will ensure we build on the person-centred, compassionate services at St Aidan’s to deliver outstanding care to local residents with complex needs.”
The CQC inspection report for St Aidan’s short break service is available on the CQC website.
