Can Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council pay for a care home placement?

It can, once two separate assessments have been completed. The care needs assessment establishes that residential care is the appropriate answer, and a financial assessment then measures savings, capital and income against the national thresholds to decide how much you contribute. Support may cover the whole fee or only part of it, and where a property is involved a deferred payment agreement is sometimes available. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is the body that makes both decisions and can explain how they apply in your circumstances.

How do I arrange a care needs assessment in Blackburn with Darwen?

Contact the adult social care team at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and ask for a care needs assessment, either for yourself or for a relative with their agreement. There is no charge for one and no financial test to qualify. A practitioner will look at daily living, mobility, memory, risk at home and the support already in place, and you can request a carer's assessment at the same time. Keep the written outcome, because providers will want to know what has been agreed.

How far ahead should we start looking at care homes?

Two or three months of lead time is a comfortable position to be in, and longer does no harm at all. Assessments, financial checks and the wait for a suitable room rarely line up neatly, and hurrying tends to narrow the choice to whatever happens to be free. Starting early also lets you visit more than once and at different times of day. If a hospital discharge has compressed the timetable, say so when you make contact, because urgent situations are handled differently.

Which providers in Blackburn with Darwen offer residential care?

Twenty five residential care homes registered with the Care Quality Commission are listed on this page for Blackburn with Darwen. They include settings such as Birchfield Residential Care Home, Lancaster House, Oldfield Manor and Acorn House Care Centre, and each one has its own profile here. Nineteen hold a Good rating, three are rated Requires Improvement, and three have no published rating so far. Open a profile to see the current rating and the inspection report behind it.

What should we ask when visiting a care home in Blackburn with Darwen?

Ask how many staff are on duty during the day, at night and at weekends, and how much of the team is permanent rather than agency. Ask how care plans are written and reviewed, how families are told about falls or changes in health, and how residents spend an ordinary afternoon. Ask what the fee covers and what is charged separately, and request that in writing. Finally, ask what would happen if your relative's needs grew beyond what the home is able to meet.

What is the difference between a residential care home and a nursing home?

The distinction is clinical rather than domestic. A residential care home provides accommodation with personal care, meaning help with washing, dressing, medication, meals and daily routine, delivered by trained care staff. A nursing home offers that same support with a registered nurse on site around the clock for needs such as complex wound care, feeding tubes or unstable long term conditions. Every home listed on this page is registered for residential care, so if nursing input is likely to be needed the care needs assessment should identify that early.

Care Homes in Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen has 25 CQC registered care homes. 19 are rated Good, 3 Requires improvement, and 3 have not yet been rated. 17 of the 25 were last inspected more than three years ago.

Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.

Blackburn with Darwen at a glance

What the numbers say about care for older people in Blackburn with Darwen.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council pays, residential care: £800 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,249 to £1,514, median £1,409
Care home beds filled across Blackburn with Darwen: 80%. The 12 month average is 83%.
Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 97
People aged 75 and over: 10,700. Rising to 12,100 by 2035, up 14%
Care homes, last 12 months: 0 opened, 1 closed. 2 changed owner, covering 50 beds.
Who pays, across Blackburn with Darwen (estimate): 47% council, 25% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 1,400. Rising to 1,600 by 2035, up 18%
People aged 85 and over: 2,600. Rising to 3,500 by 2035, up 34%

Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.

Planning and paying for care in Blackburn with Darwen

Beginning with a care needs assessment

Most families reach residential care through an assessment rather than a brochure. Anyone who appears to need help with everyday living can ask for one, and it costs nothing whatever your savings or income. The conversation covers washing, dressing, eating, moving safely about the house, memory, and how well the present arrangement is holding up. What comes out of it is a written record of agreed needs, and that document becomes the reference point every provider you approach will work from.

How funded support is decided

Needs and money are weighed separately. Once the care needs assessment is finished, a financial assessment sets savings, capital and income against the national thresholds to establish what you contribute towards a placement. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Adult Social Care carries responsibility for both pieces of work, and it is also the route to guidance on deferred payment agreements where a property forms part of the picture. Families who expect to fund care themselves still gain from requesting an assessment, because the record it produces makes every later conversation with a provider more precise.

Understanding what the fees cover

Residential fees are set by each provider individually, so they differ across the homes listed here and no single figure describes the area. A weekly fee normally covers accommodation, meals, laundry and personal care, while hairdressing, chiropody, newspapers and outings are commonly billed on top. Ask for the fee schedule in writing before anything is agreed, along with how often rates are reviewed and what notice of an increase is given. Where funded support applies, ask whether a top up contribution would be sought and who would be expected to meet it.

Choosing a provider and what to check

Reading the inspection evidence

Twenty five residential care homes are listed for Blackburn with Darwen on this page. Nineteen hold a Good rating from the Care Quality Commission, three have been judged Requires Improvement, and three are yet to receive a published rating. A Requires Improvement outcome is worth reading rather than dismissing, because the report sets out precisely which of the five key questions fell short and when the visit took place. An unrated home is not a warning either, since registration may be recent or an inspection may simply be outstanding. The rating is a summary, and the report beneath it is the evidence.

What a visit shows that a report cannot

Once the reading is done, go and look. Notice how staff speak to residents who are not asking for anything, whether people are up and occupied in the afternoon, and how the building smells at the far end of a corridor rather than by the front door. Ask about staffing at night and at weekends, how much of the team has been in post more than a year, and whether the manager is permanent or covering. Ask what happens when needs deepen, since a second move is the outcome most families hope to avoid.

Matching the home to the person

The strongest home on paper is not always the right one for your relative. Weigh the practical things honestly: how easily visitors can get there, whether a smaller household or a larger setting suits the person better, how dementia is supported through an ordinary day, and whether food, routine, faith and language will feel familiar. Where you can, take the person concerned along to see the place. Their reaction in a lounge often settles a question that weeks of comparison cannot.

25 care homes in Blackburn with Darwen

Acorn House Care Centre · Whalley New Road, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB1 9SP
Care home · CQC Good · Run by MMCG (CCH) Limited
Acorn House Care Centre is a residential care home in Blackburn, and we look after older people who need daily support, including those living with dementia. We also take people for respite stays, whether that is a planned break for a...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Respite Care
Almond Villas · 3 Dukes Brow, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 6EX
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Almond Villas Limited
Almond Villas is a residential care home in Blackburn providing a home for younger adults and for people living with mental health conditions. We offer permanent places and shorter respite stays. We are not a large institution and we do...
Specialisms: Mental Health, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Andrews Court Care Home · Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 4QR
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Andrews Court Limited
Andrews Court Care Home provides residential care in Blackburn for older people and younger adults, including people living with dementia and people with physical disabilities. We also take planned respite stays. Our aim is that people...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Birchfield Residential Care Home · 9a-11 Gorse Road, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 6LY
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Birchfield Residential Care Home Limited
We at Birchfield Residential Care Home offer warm, dedicated residential care in the heart of Blackburn, providing a welcoming home for older people across Blackburn with Darwen and the wider North West. Our home has been thoughtfully...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Respite Care
Branch Court Care Home · Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 4QR
Care home · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Branch Court Limited
Branch Court Care Home is a residential home in Blackburn for older people, including those living with dementia, residents with a physical disability and some younger adults whose needs suit a home of this kind. We help with washing and...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Younger Adults, Respite Care
(Florence House) · Florence House, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB1 5JP
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Heathcotes Care Limited
Florence House is a residential care home in Blackburn. We support older people, adults with learning disabilities, autistic adults, people living with mental ill health, people with physical disabilities and people living with sight or...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Fosse Bank House · 1-6 Fosse Bank Court, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 3UB
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Achieve Together Limited
Fosse Bank House is a residential care home in Blackburn supporting adults with a learning disability, autistic adults, people with mental health needs, residents with a physical disability and people living with sight or hearing loss....
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Franciscan Convent · 26 East Park Road, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB1 8BB
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Franciscan Missionaries of St Joseph
We are a residential care home at the Franciscan Convent in Blackburn. We are home to older people, both for the long term and for shorter respite stays when a family carer needs a rest. The character of this place comes from the community...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Respite Care
Hawkhurst · 18 Shear Bank Road, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB1 8AZ
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Prime Life Limited
Hawkhurst is a residential care home in Blackburn supporting older people, including many living with dementia, and adults living with mental health needs. We support some younger residents and we offer respite stays. We run the home as a...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Heys House · 160 Heys Lane, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 4NG
Care home · Run by Blue Ribbon Healthcare Limited
Heys House is a residential care home in Blackburn supporting adults with a learning disability and autistic adults, including younger adults working towards a more independent life. Ordinary life is what we are aiming at. People here are...
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Higher Bank · off Adelaide Terrace, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 6EU
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Mr K and Mrs K Hunter and Mrs I Coughlin
We at Higher Bank are proud to offer a warm and welcoming residential care home in Blackburn, providing dedicated older person care to families across Blackburn with Darwen and the wider North West. Our home has been thoughtfully created...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Respite Care
Hollymount Residential and Dementia Care Centre · Hollymount, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 6DE
Care home · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Longfield (Care Homes) Limited
Hollymount is a residential and dementia care home in Blackburn. Those living here include older people, many living with dementia, people managing mental health conditions and people with physical disabilities. We also offer respite...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Respite Care
Lancaster House · 3-5 Lancaster Place, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 6JT
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Almond Villas Limited
Lancaster House is a residential care home in Blackburn supporting adults living with mental health needs. We are a small place to live rather than a clinical setting, and that shapes everything about how we work. People here have their...
Specialisms: Mental Health, Respite Care
Linden House Care Home · Linden House, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB1 2BE
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Linden House Residential Home Ltd
We are a residential care home in Blackburn supporting older people and younger adults who need help with daily living, including those living with dementia, people with mental health conditions, people with physical disabilities and...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Pritchard Street · 19 Pritchard Street, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 3PF
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Almond Villas Limited
Our home on Pritchard Street in Blackburn is a residential care home supporting adults with mental health needs. We are a household rather than an institution, and the people who live here have a real say in how the place is run. Mental...
Specialisms: Mental Health, Respite Care
Ravenswing Manor Residential Care Home · 3 St Francis Road, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 2TZ
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Ravenswing Homes Limited
We are Ravenswing Manor Residential Care Home in Blackburn. We look after older people, including those living with dementia, people with physical disabilities and people with a visual or hearing impairment, and we also support younger...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
St Aidans · 124 St Aidens Avenue, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 4EY
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
We are a residential home in Blackburn supporting adults with learning disabilities and autistic people. What we are trying to run is a home, not a service with people living in it. That shows in ordinary things. People here have their own...
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Respite Care
Vincent Court · 1 Vincent Court, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 4LD
Care home · Run by Cygnet Behavioural Health Limited
Vincent Court is a residential care home in Blackburn. We support older people and younger adults, including people living with learning disabilities and autism, people managing mental health conditions and people with a visual or hearing...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
White Pearl House · 3 Vincent Court, Blackburn, Blackburn with Darwen, BB2 4LD
Care home · CQC Good · Run by White Pearl Care Ltd
White Pearl House is a residential care home in Blackburn, supporting adults with a learning disability or autism and people living with a mental health condition. We work mainly with younger adults, and we also offer respite stays for...
Specialisms: Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Younger Adults, Respite Care
Moorland View Care Home · Moorland View, Darwen, Blackburn with Darwen, BB3 0DX
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Boldlawn Limited
Moorland View Care Home is a residential home in Darwen, caring for older people who need support with everyday life. What we provide is help with the ordinary business of the day, given without fuss: assistance to wash and dress,...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Respite Care
Oldfield House Residential Care Home · 15 Hawkshaw Avenue, Darwen, Blackburn with Darwen, BB3 1QZ
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Crown Care Homes Ltd
Oldfield House Residential Care Home provides residential care in Darwen for older people, including people living with dementia, along with shorter respite stays. We try to keep the home domestic rather than institutional. People get up...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Respite Care
Oldfield Manor · 14 Hawkshaw Avenue, Darwen, Blackburn with Darwen, BB3 1QZ
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Crown Care Homes Ltd
We are Oldfield Manor in Darwen, Blackburn with Darwen. We are a residential care home supporting older people, including people living with dementia, adults with a learning disability, autistic adults, people managing mental health...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Learning Disability / Autism, Mental Health, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Respite Care
Sandybrook · Sandy Lane, Darwen, Blackburn with Darwen, BB3 0PU
Care home · Run by Northwood Complex Care Ltd
We at Sandybrook are proud to offer residential care in the welcoming town of Darwen, nestled within the wider Blackburn with Darwen area of the North West. Our home has been thoughtfully created to provide a safe, comfortable, and homely...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Mental Health, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Younger Adults, Respite Care
St James House · St James' Crescent, Darwen, Blackburn with Darwen, BB3 0EY
Care home · CQC Requires improvement · Run by Mr Devshi Odedra And Mr Keshav Khistria
St James House is a residential care home in Darwen providing care for older people, including people living with dementia, people with physical disabilities, and people with loss of sight or hearing. We should be plain about our most...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Visual / Hearing Impairment, Respite Care
Thorncliffe Residential Care Home · Thorncliffe, Darwen, Blackburn with Darwen, BB3 2QB
Care home · CQC Good · Run by Crown Care Homes Ltd
Thorncliffe Residential Care Home is in Darwen, and we support older people who need help with daily living, including those living with dementia and those with physical disabilities. Respite stays are available as well. Most of what makes...
Specialisms: Older Person Care, Dementia Care, Physical Disability, Respite Care

What care costs in Blackburn with Darwen, per week

Type of care	What the council pays	What self-funders are typically asked
Residential care North West figure, because too few Blackburn with Darwen homes publish this price. 20 homes. Median £1,409.	£800	£1,249 to £1,514
Nursing care England figure, because too few Blackburn with Darwen homes publish this price. 140 homes. Median £1,916.	£954	£1,600 to £2,071
Residential dementia care North West figure, because too few Blackburn with Darwen homes publish this price. 17 homes. Median £1,533.	Not published separately	£1,372 to £1,648
Nursing dementia care England figure, because too few Blackburn with Darwen homes publish this price. 75 homes. Median £2,050.	Not published separately	£1,890 to £2,221

Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price. Powered by Orrery Intelligence.

Inspected most recently

Andrews Court Care Home, 26 May 2026, Good
St Aidans, 20 April 2026, Good
White Pearl House, 6 February 2026, Good

Longest since a report

Fosse Bank House, 23 January 2018, Good
Pritchard Street, 29 August 2018, Good
Lancaster House, 6 October 2018, Good

Frequently asked questions about care homes in Blackburn with Darwen

How many care homes are there in Blackburn with Darwen?

Blackburn with Darwen has 25 CQC registered care homes: 19 Good, 3 Requires improvement, 3 not yet rated. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.

How much does a care home cost in Blackburn with Darwen?

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council pays an average of £800 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,249 to £1,514 a week. North West figure, because too few Blackburn with Darwen homes publish this price. 20 homes. Median £1,409. Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price.

Which care homes in Blackburn with Darwen were inspected most recently?

Andrews Court Care Home (26 May 2026), St Aidans (20 April 2026) and White Pearl House (6 February 2026) have the most recent CQC reports.