A CARE home could face the threat of closure after being placed into ‘special measures’ by inspectors.

A report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave Ainsworth Nursing Home, in Knowsley Road, an ‘inadequate’ rating for the second time within a year.

The home, which has been inspected three times in the last nine months, could now have its registration revoked unless it improves by the time of the next inspection in six months.

After the unannounced inspection on May 12, the service’s safety, effectiveness and leadership were found to be inadequate. It also required improvement in terms of being caring and responsive.

Inspectors found the home’s then manager was practising as a registered nurse without being legally registered, and also reported a number of issues with facilities – including an “offensive odour” throughout the dementia unit.

The home was first found to be inadequate after an inspection in November 2014, but its rating improved after a focussed visit in March this year to check whether the required steps had been implemented.

Kaniz Sadiq, who has taken over as the home’s acting manager since the most recent inspection, said: “We feel that we have already done a lot of the work that the new report has required us to do.

“There are a lot of positive aspects in the report about the care that we offer and we are working with the CQC to improve things.

“Most of the requirements outlined in the report have now been addressed.”

Highlighting the home’s positive aspects, the report said: “Staff showed a good understanding of the needs of people they were supporting.

“One person who used the service told us the staff were friendly and cheerful. We observed people who used the service were treated with kindness and compassion.”

The home, which housed 25 residents at the time of the CQC visit, has been required to make eight legally binding improvements before the next inspection.

Debbie Westhead, CQC’s deputy chief inspector of adult social care in the North, said: “At our recent inspection we found many of the concerns from our previous visits had not been fully addressed, with some areas of the home continuing to be unsafe and some care posed a risk to the people living there.”

She added it was "unacceptable improvements had not been made" and said: “Because of our findings we are currently considering the need for further regulatory action against the service, to protect the rights of the people there, but due to legal reasons we cannot comment further at this stage.”