During an assessment under our new approach
The assessment was conducted between 23 January and 1 April 2026, and we visited the location and supported living schemes on 3 and 10 February 2026. Eastern Lodge provides care and support to people with a learning disability, autism and mental health needs, living in individual flats or rooms within shared supported living schemes. At the time of the assessment, 14 people were using the service, of whom 4 received the regulated activity of personal care.
We identified concerns in relation to medicines management and governance systems. The provider did not always ensure medicines were managed and administered safely, and shortfalls in oversight, record keeping, and protocols meant we were not assured people consistently received their medicines as prescribed. We also found inconsistencies in care documentation and quality assurance processes. There were shortfalls in audits, policies, record keeping, and oversight, which meant governance systems were not consistently effective in maintaining safe and high-quality care. These concerns amounted to regulatory breaches concerning safe care and treatment, and good governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found in this assessment.
Despite these concerns, there were multiple examples of good care. Staff treated people fairly, with kindness and respect, and understood their individual needs. Staff worked effectively with external professionals to support positive outcomes. The service had an open culture where feedback was encouraged and used to improve the quality of care. The service operated systems and processes to support people safely. Staff understood safeguarding procedures and knew how to report concerns appropriately. Staff were recruited safely and deployed effectively to meet people’s needs. They received a range of training relevant to their roles and were supported to develop their skills.
We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.