ARC Residential Intermediate Care Service

What families say

Some residents have found real progress here, with families reporting loved ones who couldn't walk after surgery regaining their independence. Others speak of feeling safe and supported during their recovery.

Based on 16 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness60
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare60
• Management & leadership65
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-11-20 · Report published 2020-11-20 · Inspected 4 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Arc was rated Good for safety at its October 2020 inspection. The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement, so this represents a genuine improvement. The published report does not contain specific detail about what inspectors observed in relation to medicines management, infection control, staffing levels, or falls prevention. No concerns were recorded in the July 2023 review.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but the absence of specific detail in the published report means you cannot yet picture what safety looks like in practice here. Good Practice research consistently finds that night staffing is the point where safety most often slips in care homes, yet this report gives no figures for overnight cover on a 33-bed unit. Agency staff reliance is another risk factor: consistent, familiar faces matter enormously for people with dementia, who can become distressed around strangers. You need to ask direct questions on your visit rather than rely on the rating alone.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that night staffing ratios and agency reliance are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes. A Good inspection rating does not, on its own, confirm that these are well managed.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for last week, not a template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency staff were on duty overnight, and check what the minimum number of carers is after 10pm for 33 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Arc was rated Good for effectiveness at its October 2020 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well the home meets individual needs. The published report does not record specific observations about dementia training, care plan quality, GP access, or food. The improvement from Requires Improvement suggests previous gaps have been addressed, but the detail is not available publicly.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness covers whether staff know how to support your parent specifically, not just care for people in general. With a wide range of registered specialisms including dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions, you need to be confident that staff have training that matches your parent's actual needs, not just a generic care certificate. Our Good Practice evidence base identifies care plans as living documents that should change with the person, and that families should be actively involved in reviewing them. The inspection does not confirm whether this happens here. Food quality is another marker: it reflects whether the home genuinely knows each person's preferences and health needs.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that dementia training which goes beyond basic awareness, focusing instead on communication, behaviour understanding, and person-led approaches, is strongly associated with better outcomes for people with dementia living in care homes.","watch_out":"Ask the manager what dementia-specific training all care staff have completed in the past 12 months, whether any staff hold a formal qualification such as a dementia care mapping certification, and how recently your parent's care plan would be updated if their needs changed."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Arc was rated Good for caring at its October 2020 inspection. This domain reflects how staff interact with residents, whether dignity and privacy are respected, and whether people feel treated as individuals. The published report does not include inspector observations of staff interactions, resident testimony about how they feel treated, or examples of how the home handles distress or maintains independence.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive Google reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are not qualities you can confirm from a rating alone. Good Practice research is clear that for people with dementia, non-verbal communication matters as much as words: whether a carer makes eye contact, moves slowly, speaks calmly, and uses a person's preferred name is what shapes daily experience. These are things you can observe yourself on a visit, which is exactly why a visit before any decision is essential here.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) found that person-led care, defined as staff knowing individual histories, preferences, and communication styles, is associated with significantly lower rates of distress and agitation in people with dementia.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff greet your parent in a corridor or common room. Do they use their preferred name, make eye contact, and move without hurry? Ask the manager how the home finds out what name a new resident likes to be called and how that is communicated to all staff, including agency workers."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Arc was rated Good for responsiveness at its October 2020 inspection. This domain covers whether care is tailored to individual needs, whether activities are meaningful and varied, and whether end-of-life wishes are planned and respected. The published report contains no specific detail about the activities programme, individual engagement, or how the home responds to changing needs.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Responsiveness is the difference between your parent having a life in the home and simply being kept safe. Activities are mentioned in 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness in 27.1%. Good Practice research is particularly clear that group activities alone are not enough: people with moderate to advanced dementia often cannot participate and need structured one-to-one engagement. With a 33-bed home registered for such a wide range of conditions, you need to know how the activities coordinator tailors provision to different levels of ability, not just what is on the weekly timetable.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that Montessori-based and everyday task-focused individual activities, rather than group entertainment sessions, are most effective for people with advanced dementia and those who find social settings difficult.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity schedule for the past two weeks and check whether activities run seven days a week, including weekends. Then ask specifically what happens for a resident who cannot join a group session: is there structured one-to-one time built into the day, or do those residents spend that time alone?"}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Arc was rated Good for leadership at its October 2020 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. Mrs Lisa Jayne Coultas is the registered manager and Mr Nick Henson is the nominated individual. The home is run by Blackpool Borough Council. The improvement across all five domains from the previous inspection suggests that leadership has driven meaningful change, but the published report gives no specific information about management visibility, staff culture, governance systems, or how the home handles complaints.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A move from Requires Improvement to Good in leadership is one of the more encouraging signals in this report. Good Practice research consistently finds that leadership stability is a strong predictor of quality trajectory: homes with a settled, visible manager tend to maintain and build on improvements rather than slip back. Communication with families is mentioned positively in 11.5% of family reviews and is something families often say they wish they had checked more carefully before choosing a home. The inspection does not confirm how well The Arc communicates with families, so this is a key question for your visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review (2026) found that homes where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, and where managers are visible on the floor rather than office-bound, show consistently better care outcomes and lower rates of incident recurrence.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether she is present on the day you visit. Ask one direct question to a care worker you meet: how easy is it to raise a concern with the manager? The answer, and the way it is given, will tell you a great deal about the culture of the home."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The home's expertise spans learning disabilities, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They also support people with eating disorders and substance misuse challenges.. Gaps or open questions remain on The Arc includes dementia among its specialisms, supporting residents with cognitive changes alongside other complex needs. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.