Two care Homes in Prestwich have been ordered to improve after being inspected by the healthcare watchdog.

Service providers 86 Meade Hill Road and 17 York Street in Prestwich have both rated as "requires improvement" by the Care Quality Commission.

The care home on Meade Hill Road provides care and accommodation for up to five people with a learning disability or autism.

It is part of the Outreach Community group who have other care homes and outreach services in and around the borough.

Some of the main issues raised at the care home was that people’s needs were not always met due to staffing levels within the service.

It was found that they had basic paper-based care records, however care plans required reviewing and updating and the service didn’t support people to have maximum choice, control and independence.

Regarding the safety of the service, the report said: “Access to the outside garden space was not always safe for people due to their increased frailty.

“Following a discussion with the residential service manager they contacted the landlord to make accessing the garden easier so that people remained safe.

“There were also not always enough staff on duty for people to take part in activities and visits how and when they wanted.”

However, the report did note that staff were well trained in how to recognise potential abuse, staff followed systems and processes to administer, record and store medicines safely and permanent staff were recruited safely with the appropriate checks completed.

The rating for this care home changed from "good" to "requires improvement" following the inspection.

Meanwhile, 17 York Street is a residential care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to four people with learning disabilities, mental health and physical disabilities.

The report stated: “The service had simple paper-based care records. Staff assessed people's risks and needs and drew up care plans to address them.

“However, we found some gaps and inconsistencies in the records, for example, some lacked dates, some had not been updated and some of the templates used were inappropriate.

“People's self-medication care plans lacked detail about the support needed from staff, and staff did not always review risk assessments when medicines changed.”

It added: “Most of the home was clean and tidy but there were stains and coatings of grease on the kitchen cupboards and some appliances.

“The décor in the care home's communal areas and in one bedroom needed updating.

“The provider shared their plans for redecorating and refurbishing the communal areas of the home, but these plans did not include people's bedrooms as the provider did not think this was their responsibility.”

However, the care home was praised for its processes to safely administer medicines, having enough staff to meet the needs of all people, encouraging residents to live full and active lifestyles as independently and safely as possible and to pursue their interests, aspirations and goals.

Relatives of people in the home also added that staff regularly updated them on their loved one’s wellbeing, and they were kept well informed and involved in their loved one’s care.

The CQC has asked the home to ensure people’s care records were accurate, up to date, appropriate and consistent.

Efforts were made to contact both care homes for a comment.