Strathmore Nursing Home

Strathmore Nursing Home is a care home providing personal care and nursing support for up to 32 older people and individuals living with dementia. Located in Bolton, the adapted three-storey building accommodated 28 residents at the time of the inspection. While families and residents generally experience a welcoming atmosphere with dedicated staff and open communication, the recent inspection highlighted several important areas requiring operational improvements to ensure consistent quality and safety across the home.

The home maintains good infection control practices, with staff using personal protective equipment appropriately and maintaining clean premises. However, medicines management required improvement, as staff did not always complete medication records accurately, check staff competencies in a timely manner, or safely store and monitor items such as thickening powders and storage temperatures.

Care is delivered in a way that respects individual choices and involves appropriate partnerships with outside agencies. Staff receive proper training to understand people's needs, and the home follows legal frameworks regarding mental capacity to ensure residents are supported in their best interests.

Residents are supported by staff who understand how to recognize and report potential risks and signs of abuse. However, health and safety monitoring needs attention, as environmental and fire risk assessments were found to be out of date and required timely review by management.

Management and leadership are approachable and maintain an open, person-centred culture where residents and relatives feel comfortable raising concerns. Nevertheless, internal auditing systems and oversight require strengthening, particularly regarding data protection, secure storage of personal records, and following up on quality monitoring checks.