A private hospital for young people in Bury has been told to improve by the healthcare watchdog following an inspection.

Cygnet Bury Forestwood on Bolton Road was given an overall rating of "requires improvement" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The regulator concluded that the hospital, which provides medical and mental health services for young people aged 13-18, “did not always provide safe care".

Cygnet runs three hospitals on Bolton Road. 

Since April 2021, the location has been split into three, which also includes Bury Cygnet Dunes, which is rated "good".

This month, another hospital run by operator Cygnet Health Care, Cygnet Bury Hudson, was given a rating of "inadequate" after inspectors raised concerns about bullying.

In its report on Forestwood, inspectors said: “The service did not always provide safe care. The ward environments were not all well maintained and clean.

“The service did not manage medicines safely and staff were not following the provider’s dress code policy in relation to being bare below the elbow and staff having long, manicured nails.

“Young people told us that they had been hurt when receiving care because staff had long nails.”

The CQC inspected the service in five areas, rating both safety and leadership as "requires improvement".

However, the service was giving "good" ratings for its effectiveness, care, and responsiveness to people’s needs.

The CQC report said: “Staff treated young people with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and understood the individual needs of young people.

“Staff assessed and managed risk well and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.

“The service provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the young people and in line with national guidance and best practice.”

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In response to the report, a Cygnet Health Care spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with our overall rating, especially as the inspection report provides clear evidence of good practice in many areas.

"In particular, we feel encouraged that the report acknowledged how staff were kind, compassionate and understood the needs of young people.

“The inspectors found the service provided a range of treatments suitable to the needs of the young people and in line with national guidance and best practice.

"Inspectors highlighted how staff assessed and managed risk well and followed good practice with respect to safeguarding.

“It praised staff for developing comprehensive care plans and recognised that managers ensure all staff have the right skills, qualifications, and experience to look after those in their care.

“Staff were also commended for ensuring people leaving the service receive the right care and support when they go home after discharge and for actively involving young people and families and carers in care decisions.

“We do take all feedback seriously and we recognise the need to make improvements.

“We remain committed to working with the CQC, our commissioners, our patients and their families/carers to better our service and we look forward to demonstrating the positive changes at the next inspection.”