Rochdale Borough Council’s adult social care service has been rated as ‘good’ following an assessment by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The council was given a CQC rating of 75 per cent, with inspectors praising a well-led service that delivers high-quality care and support for residents in Heywood, Middleton, Pennines and Rochdale.
Inspectors visited Rochdale in November 2025, meeting with councillors, leadership teams, staff and residents who draw on care and support.
The CQC praised the council's exceptional partnership and community approach to delivering services for thousands of older and vulnerable people.
The report signalled out many areas of good practice in:
- Safe systems, pathways and transitions
- Governance management and sustainability
- Learning, improvement and innovation
- Supporting people to live healthier lives
- Care provision, integrity and continuity
Inspectors highlighted a committed and forward-thinking adult care leadership team, strong safeguarding arrangements, a clear emphasis on reducing health inequalities, and a continuous drive to promote independence and person-centred care.
The council’s adult care staff were praised as a passionate workforce, focused on delivering better outcomes for older and vulnerable people.
The report highlighted many other key strengths including:
- A strong commitment to understanding community needs, amplifying the voices of residents, including unpaid carers
- A commitment to prioritising equity and celebrating diversity amongst residents and staff, continually demonstrating its values through actions
- Innovative service delivery ensuring residents can live independently after a hospital stay
- Over 90 per cent of people who accessed adult care said the services made them feel safe and secure, higher than the national average
- Strong relationships between councillors and officers
- Strong policy commitments and good practice in producing accessible formats and co-designing resources
You can view our CQC report online.
Leader of the council Councillor Neil Emmott said:
“This is an excellent outcome from the CQC assessment, underlining yet again the high-quality value for money services we are delivering for our residents.
“The good rating is a reflection of the outstanding work of our staff and is a credit to each and every one of them and the work they do, day in day out, to support older and vulnerable people.
“The inspectors signalled out so many areas of positive work, but I was particularly pleased of their praise for the strategic leadership delivered by councillors and officers, working together in the best of interests of people who draw on care and support.
“Adult care is clearly a well-led service, but the hard work continues, as we look to build on this good rating, to deliver even better services across Heywood, Middleton, Pennines and Rochdale.”
Councillor Shah Wazir, cabinet member for adult care and wellbeing, said the report was testament to adult social care’s continual journey of change. He said:
“The CQC rating underlines what an outstanding group of staff we have, taking pride in their work, passionate about improving residents’ lives and pioneering in their approach. Council staff are delivering high-quality services which, as the inspectors confirmed, makes our residents feel safe and well supported.
“I am particularly proud that in supporting people to live healthier lives, safeguarding, care provision, assessing needs and other key areas, the inspectors recognised the good standard of services we are delivering for thousands of people, showing Rochdale’s caring side at its very best.”
“I would like to praise my predecessor as cabinet member for adult care, councillor Iftikhar Ahmed, who served in the position for over a decade. The good rating is testament to his hard work and, along with his assistant, councillor Billy Sheerin they can be very proud of their longstanding work to improve people’s lives.”
Nichola Thompson, director of adult social care, said:
“I am so proud of the many positive findings in this report which is a credit to our extremely talented staff who through their outstanding work are empowering people and changing lives for the better.
“We have transformed the way we deliver services for our residents, ensuring people are at the heart from the start and that everything we do makes a meaningful difference to people’s lives. The report is one of the best in the north west and compares favourably with local authorities across the country. A score of 75 per cent is a strong reflection on our collaborative and inclusive approach. We will be reflecting on key learnings in the report, ensuring we build on the strong foundations that are in place to continue delivering the high-quality services our residents need and expect.”
Related content
- Leader of the council Councillor Neil Emmott
- Councillor Shah Wazir
- Adult social care
- Council news from across the borough of Rochdale
- About the council