![\"Pennine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Pennine-Care-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nOne ‘outstanding’ service was praised as \u2018exceptional\u2019 and \u2018truly person-centred\u2019<\/p>\n
Pennine Care NHS Trust, in Tameside(Image: Google)<\/p>\n
More than a third of \u2018urgent\u2019 111 calls were not picked up by teams at a mental health trust, this week\u2019s round-up of healthcare inspections reveals.<\/p>\n
Some 41 per cent of calls to Pennine Care NHS<\/a> Foundation Trust\u2019s crisis and home treatment teams were abandoned, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This means \u2018some people requiring urgent help may not have been able to get through to a staff member, the watchdog said.<\/p>\n It is the second time in two weeks that teams within the trust have been rated \u2018requires improvement\u2019 by inspectors. Last week, its community-based mental health services were criticised after the CQC found there were a high number of people waiting to be allocated a key worker due to shortages, and some staff felt \u2018overwhelmed\u2019 by their caseloads.<\/p>\n Click here for our dedicated Makerfield by-election newsletter<\/a> with exclusive interviews and analysis<\/p>\n Here is a breakdown of Greater Manchester\u2019s recently published CQC reports:<\/p>\n Tameside<\/p>\n The Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, which is based in Tameside<\/a> but operates in a number of the regions\u2019 boroughs, has been rated \u2018requires improvement\u2019 for the second week in a row. This week, a report into the trust\u2019s crisis and home treatment teams was published.<\/p>\n The teams provide short-term home-based support to people in mental health crises with the aim of preventing hospital admission. Inspectors found a high number of calls to 111 \u2013 41pc between January 2024 and October 2025 \u2013 were abandoned, meaning \u2018some people requiring urgent help may not have been able to get through to a staff member\u2019.<\/p>\n Documents, including patient risk assessments, were not \u2018consistently\u2019 completed. Some teams had high rates of risk assessments being completed with predictive tools, the report added. National guidance says these tools \u2018cannot reliably predict individual suicide risk and can lead to unsafe decisions\u2019.<\/p>\n Problems with buildings used by the trust were also documented. The Oldham<\/a> team\u2019s office was described as \u2018not fit for purpose and is significantly over occupied\u2019, with poor ventilation, insufficient seating and computers, and excessive noise also noted. The office had been added to the risk register almost two years ago.<\/p>\n The service did not have \u2018enough appropriately trained and supervised staff in all teams\u2019, the report continued. Compliance with training was a little as 6.5pc in some areas. Service users were not always told of their rights when it came to consent.<\/p>\n Staveleigh Medical Centre, based in Stalybridge<\/a>, received a \u2018good\u2019 rating from the CQC. Inspectors said the service had \u2018enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development\u2019.<\/p>\n Staff also \u2018worked together well to provide safe care that met people\u2019s individual needs\u2019. The centre also \u2018thoroughly assessed and managed\u2019 infection risks, supported people to live healthier lives, and was \u2018exceptional at ensuring people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it\u2019.<\/p>\n Patients told the inspectors staff were \u2018kind\u2019, \u2018truly caring\u2019 and \u2018supportive\u2019.<\/p>\n Wigan<\/p>\n Axis Care Group, based in Leigh, was also rated \u2018requires improvement\u2019 by inspectors. The CQC criticised the domiciliary care and supported living service for missing information in care plans and risk assessments.<\/p>\n This included a missing nutrition and hydration risk assessment for a service user who was identified as being at risk of choking and who had a medical condition impacting their appetite and digestion. A person who was at risk of pressure sores also had no mention of this, or their need to be repositioned, in their care plan.<\/p>\n Join our new Makerfield by-election WhatsApp community by clicking this link<\/a> for the latest news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/p>\n An individual was identified as needing at least 1500ml of fluids a day, but their monitoring records showed they were rarely offered more than 500ml, the report added. Recorded medicine dosages for service users did not match what had been prescribed by the GP, inspectors also found.<\/p>\n Further concerns were flagged over recruitment and training. Some staff files did not contain proof of identification, proof of address or contracts of employment, while interviews were sometimes conducted by a single staff member rather than two, and in some cases by staff who were not in senior positions, which contradicts best practice, the CQC said.<\/p>\n While training compliance was \u2018high overall\u2019, records \u2018did not evidence\u2019 advanced autism and learning disability training, despite the service supporting people with these needs. Most staff did not have in person training for moving and handling. It was also \u2018not clear\u2019 if staff had been \u2018fully assessed as competent before working independently\u2019.<\/p>\n Belong at Home Domiciliary Care Agency was the only Greater Manchester service to receive an \u2018outstanding\u2019 from the watchdog this week. The provider had a \u2018strong proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and complete honesty\u2019, inspectors reported.<\/p>\n The provider was praised as \u2018exceptional\u2019 and \u2018truly person-centred\u2019 when it came to treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respecting their privacy and dignity. Service users told inspectors that \u2018staff went out of their way to make them feel \u201cglamorous\u201d by blow drying their hair and \u201cpampering them\u201d\u2019.<\/p>\n