Ringway Mews Care Home, in Wythenshawe, has been slammed by inspectors, who gave it an ‘inadequate’ rating
Ringway Mews Care Home, in Wythenshawe
‘Run-ragged’ staff dread going to work at an ‘unsafe’ Manchester care home, a healthcare watchdog has found.
Ringway Mews Care Home, in Wythenshawe, has been rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The latest inspection, in May this year, was prompted by ‘continued concerns’ over unsafe care flagged by the watchdog in June 2025.
Seven breaches of legal regulations were discovered in May, up from two last June. These included regulations around dignity and respect, safe care and treatment, premises and equipment, and staffing.
One of the key concerns raised by inspectors about the Stancliffe Road home was staffing levels. This was raised with them by relatives and by staff themselves.
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One family member told the CQC that the resident to staff ratio ‘doesn’t seem safe’ at times. Another added: “No, there’s not enough staff and the ones who are there are run ragged. It’s not their fault, it’s not neglect, it’s just not enough staff as dementia patients can be demanding.”
Inspectors said ‘most staff’ had expressed concerns about staffing levels, saying this impacted on their ability to deliver timely, consistent, person-centred care and support.
One employee said: “There is no support, we are constantly understaffed and they don’t care when the staff are doing numerous extra things each day. Every day is a dread to come into work.”
Low staffing levels and reliance on agency staff created concerns about care for the CQC. The inspectors said they ‘observed some dedicated staff doing their best and treating people with kindness’.
But this was not consistent and they also saw evidence of ‘poor practice’. They added: “Staff were often too busy, and people were not always treated with dignity and respect. Halifax unit was a poor environment and all the care we observed was task focused on this unit. Staff were struggling to cope with the demands placed upon them.”
Residents ‘sat with no activities’ between meals, spending the time alone as staff were ‘often too busy to engage with them in a meaningful way’.
One employee said: “It affects our residents as we are all rushing around when the time could be used better to promote the wellbeing of our residents by having a cuppa and a natter, joining in the activities or a walk around the garden, music therapy etc..”
Staff also did not always respond to residents’ needs ‘quickly enough’, the report continued. Inspectors said they ‘had to intervene’ to ensure one person was able to go to the toilet.
The television was ‘on too loud’, the report stated, and staff were ‘unable to hear the person stating they would use the floor if someone did not assist them soon’.
‘Significant concerns’ were flagged by the CQC around oral care after the inspection team found that ‘people did not always have toothbrushes’, with records ‘often not completed’ by staff to say when oral care was provided.
Medicine management was also an issue, the report stated. People ‘consistently did not receive their medicines at the prescribed times’, including time-critical medicines, antihypertensives and dementia treatments.
Employees also recorded ‘frequent’ missed or refused doses without ‘clear escalation or follow-up’. There was a ‘lack of effective oversight which increased the risk that people did not receive medicines safely or as intended, leading to poor health outcomes’, the CQC ruled.
Care plans were not ‘detailed, accurate or person-centred’, the watchdog continued. They did not provide clear guidance on key areas such as diabetes management, blood glucose monitoring, hypertension, or topical treatments for pain management.
Some people needed thickened fluids to reduce the risk of choking. However, records did not show that staff used thickeners consistently or correctly, which put people at risk of harm.
Additionally, ‘several’ safeguarding referrals were not made to the CQC as they were required to be. This suggested the provider ‘did not fully understand their responsibilities’, the CQC said.
While the home had been inspected by the council’s infection control team in January this year and scored a 90pc, the CQC said this ‘did not match’ their experience of the home. They said the premises and equipment were ‘not clean and hygienic’ with particular problems in two units.
Issues over the availability of equipment were also raised by staff. They flagged a broken dishwasher, insufficient plates, beakers and kitchen utensils, and the fact the home was down to just one hoist as key problems.
Springcare Ltd, which runs the home, did not respond to our request for a comment.