One care home has been found to be ‘requires improvement’ in three consecutive inspections
Every day, Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors review health and care services across the country(Image: Dominic Lipinski)
Two Greater Manchester care services were rated as ‘requires improvement’ by health watchdogs earlier this month – with one home demonstrating a ‘history of failing to respond adequately to serious concerns’.
Every day, Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors review health and care services across the country. And each week, the health watchdog shares a list of the results of those inspections.
The CQC can rate services according to how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led they are, using four levels: outstanding, good, requires improvement, inadequate.
These are the findings for facilities in Greater Manchester for the week commencing November 10, 2025.
Bolton
Strathmore Care Home Limited, Strathmore Nursing Home, 51 Seymour Road, BL1 8PT
This is a residential care home providing support to older people, younger adults, and people living with physical disabilities. At the time of its inspection, 24 people were being supported there.
The care home had previously been found to be ‘in breach of legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance’, according to the CQC after a partial inspection in 2023. During the 2025 inspection, the care home was found to no longer be in breach of the regulations, and had improved its quality assurance, governance, and management of medicines.
The regulator says these improvements were a ‘work in progress’, and more improvements were needed to ‘consistently embed practices.
The home was praised for being clean and well-maintained, keeping people protected and safe, staff understanding and managing risks, there being the right number of staff with the right skills and training.
People received kind and compassionate care, and there was a positive and open workplace culture, according to the regulator.
The home was assessed from September 4 to 12, and a report was published on November 11. It was given an overall rating of ‘good’.
Macdonald Care Limited, The Old Vicarage, Ivy Bank Road, BL1 7EQ
This is a residential care home for older people. “The inspection was prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service sustained an injury and subsequently died,” said the CQC.
“This incident was investigated by CQC, and it was determined no regulatory action was required.”
An inspection was agreed to get assurance that the home had taken action to curtail future risks, and that other people were safe from any dangers that could be avoided.
The facility was clean, well-maintained, and safe. There were the right number of staff with the right skills and training, according to the CQC.
The inspection found that there was a good learning culture, with any incidents being investigated with actions set, outcomes recorded, and lessons learned.
Risk assessments were in place, and loved ones of those in the home were involved in assessments of residents’ needs.
The home was assessed from October 9 to 15, and a report was published on November 13. It was given an overall rating of ‘good’.
Manchester
Volitions Smile Ltd, Volition Smile, 293 Palatine Road, M22 4HH
This practice provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children. It was deemed to have ‘met regulations’.
The CQC said it identified and managed risks, like infection prevention and control. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to do their jobs, and there was effective leadership.
Staff ‘treated patients with dignity and respect, and ensured access to care, support and treatment when required’, added the watchdog.
The service was assessed on November 5, and a report was published on November 14.
Oldham
Lumina Therapeutic Communities Ltd, Fernbank, 91-93 Queens Road, OL8 2BA
Fernbank is a residential care home specialising in the support of people experiencing difficulties with their mental health. This was its first inspection under new ownership.
The CQC said people were kept safe by a caring team of staff, and that risks to people’s health were managed well to reduce likelihood of harm. The CQC praised the cleanliness and safety of the home, and how there was a ‘strong emphasis on helping people maintain and develop their independence’.
The watchdog praised the home’s leadership and said it had ‘systems to make sure incidents were reviewed, staff were de-briefed, and action taken to prevent recurrence’. There were enough staff with the right skills and training, according to the CQC.
The home was assessed from September 15 to October 7, and a report was published on November 10. It was given an overall rating of ‘good’.
Rochdale
Wellfield Health Centre, 116 Oldham Road, OL11 1AD
This is an NHS GP practice with 13,455 patients. The CQC highlighted that the practice has a good learning culture, with incidents investigated thoroughly and continuous learning.
Patients were kept safe, and the facilities were clean and well-maintained.
There were enough staff with the right skills and training, according to the CQC. And patients were treated with kindness, compassion, and dignity.
The watchdog found that people had choice in their care, understood and were supported by the practice in their options. The watchdog raised that the service did not always make sure medicines were managed safely.
The practice was assessed from September 30 to October 2, and a report was published on November 11. It was given an overall rating of ‘good’.
Stockport
Stable Steps Ltd, Stable Steps Care Centre, 47 Adswood Lane West, SK3 8HZ
This is a care home providing personal and nursing care, with 44 people living at the home at the time of the inspection – almost half were under the age of 65.
Around 95 per cent were living with dementia or cognitive impairments.
The inspection was carried out after the home was given a warning notice to improve, after breaches had previously been found relating to people’s care, the home’s governance, and safe staffing numbers and recruitment.
There were not enough improvements to people’s care and the breach remained, according to the watchdog. There were concerns that people’s individual needs weren’t being met.
Improvements were also not found around the home’s governance and the breach continued.
The inspectors said: “The provider had failed to ensure they consistently provided safe care and treatment and had not made all the necessary improvements to concerns found at previous inspections. These included medicines management, risk management, safe environments, person-centred care and overall governance of the service.”
The CQC found a new breach too, saying the home is flouting its legal regulations in relation to the safety of care and treatment. “We found people’s medicines were not always managed safely and risks to people were not always managed safely and effectively,” it said.
However, the previous breaches in relation to safe recruitment and staffing levels were found to have been resolved as there was enough evidence of improvements.
The watchdog said: “Stable Steps Care Centre has now been rated requires improvement for the last three inspections and at every inspection since their registration with CQC. This meant there was a history of failing to respond adequately to serious concerns raised by CQC.”
The practice was assessed from June 30 to July 16, and a report was published on November 10. It was given an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’, and the CQC has asked for an action plan from the home in response to its concerns.
Tameside
Routes Healthcare (North) Limited, Routes Healthcare Tameside, Tameside Business Park, M34 3QS
This is a domiciliary care agency providing support to people living in their own home. Some of the people receiving support have complex needs and they require 24 hours care and support.
At the time of the assessment, there were 205 people receiving personal care. The inspection followed ‘concerns received by the CQC about the service’.
The CQC found there was no registered manager, and inspectors were not assured staff had ‘adequate level of skills, knowledge, training and competencies to provide care and support to people’, with both patients and staff raising concerns in this area.
The watchdog said the service was responsive to feedback, and already had an improvement plan addressing some of the shortfalls in care identified by the CQC.
The practice was assessed from August 18 to September 11, and a report was published on November 12. It was given an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’ with a breach around staffing needs. The CQC has asked for an action plan from the service in response to its concerns.
Trafford
North Trafford Group Practice, 864-866 Chester Road, M32 0PA
North Trafford Group Practice is made up of two NHS GP practices and delivers service to 15,234 patients. Patients were positive about the quality of their care and treatment, according to the CQC.
There was an active patient participation group representing the views of people.
The practice was assessed from September 2 to 15, and a report was published on November 13. It was given an overall rating of ‘good’.
Stockdales of Sale, Altrincham and District Ltd, Harboro, 34 Harboro Road, M33 5AH
Harboro is a care home for people with learning disabilities and autism needing nursing or personal care. At the time of the assessment, the home was supporting four people with learning disabilities.
The watchdog found that the home had a ‘positive safety culture, promoted dignity and respect, and maintained strong medicines governance’. The care was ‘designed to promote independence, choice, and inclusion’.
Inspectors praised the caring nature, cleanliness and good leadership of the home. “While we identified some areas where further development would enhance the service, such as improving the consistency of accessible information, strengthening co-production initiatives, and continuing to build on outcome monitoring, these did not significantly impact the overall quality of care,” said the CQC.
“The provider was already taking steps to address these areas, and people continued to experience safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led support.”
The home was assessed from September 8 to October 3, and a report was published on November 10. It was given an overall rating of ‘good’.