During an assessment under our new approach
Our view of the service
About the service
Rockny House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 15 people. The home has 15 bedrooms across both floors and people have access to shared communal areas such as the kitchen, dining room, lounge and garden. The home is located close to the town centre.
Who the service is for
Rockny house provides support to younger and older adults with a range of support needs including, people living with physical disabilities, mental health needs, dementia, learning disabilities and autistic people. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
Key findings
We carried out this assessment on 17 September 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
People were supported and received person-centred care from a small staff team who knew them well. A professional said, “I do not have any concerns, the overall support I have witnessed is person centred.” Staff understood people’s individual preferences, communication needs and routines. Staff recognised early signs of anxiety, sensory overload or distress. A professional told us, “I have first handedly seen them (staff) respond to early triggers that others wouldn’t notice.” We observed positive interactions throughout our visit.
Staff were recruited safely and had the right skills, values, and training to safely support people. They understood how to protect people from harm or abuse, demonstrating knowledge of how to recognise and report concerns. Staff told us they felt comfortable raising concerns, expressing confidence they would be listened to, and appropriate action would be taken. One staff member shared an example of when they had raised a concern and how effectively the management team addressed it. People's identified risks were assessed, with care plans providing clear guidance for staff on how to manage risks. Although there had been no recent accidents or incidents, processes were in place to ensure any future occurrences would be logged and reviewed monthly. The registered manager told us accidents and incidents would be analysed to identify if there were any themes or trends, and any updates or changes would be shared with the staff team.
People lived in an environment which was homely, clean, well maintained with appropriate safety checks completed. We identified a few radiators did not have radiator covers on. The management team took immediate action. Risks to people from environmental hazards had been assessed and mitigated.
Medicines management processes were robust. Systems were in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff followed best practice guidelines and had the skills and knowledge required to manage medicines safely.
People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found staff and management worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions, they had choice, control and freedom over their lives. Throughout our visit we saw people moving around the home, making their own choices of where to spend their time and what activities they wanted to do.
People were supported by kind and caring staff who provided caring support, respected people’s dignity, privacy and autonomy. A professional described staff as, “Always kind and compassionate,” and told us, “Staff were honest with people even with difficult conversations. They are very caring and responsive to needs.” Staff spoken with described a positive culture working at Rockny House and spoke fondly of the people they supported. One staff member said, “It’s brilliant here. Management are helpful, residents are lovely, it’s like being at home, has a family homely feel.” A professional told us, “The registered manager is great, they know the residents inside and out and will go out of their way to ensure people living at Rockny House get the best care.”
Governance systems were effective in monitoring quality, safety and performance. Staff told us they were supported by the management team and worked well together as a team.
Leaders were available to people and staff, and staff told us communication was good and all levels of management maintained an open-door policy. One staff member said, “We all work well as team, and it is easy to communicate with each other.” Staff consistently described the management team as lovely, approachable and supportive. A professional told us, “The registered manager is always available on my visits, has a high level of knowledge about their residents and I have been able to raise concerns and discuss.” Another professional said, “Staff are welcoming, responsive and professional. I am able to book meetings and visits over the phone and email with ease.” A further professional said, “Staff appear to know the residents well and respond appropriately to their needs.”