Updated 5 June 2026
Lepton Heights is a care home registered to support up to 43 people. At the time of our assessment there were 13 people living at the service. Lepton Heights offers nursing and personal care to people with complex mental and physical health problems.
The assessment was carried out in line with CQC’s assessment priorities. This was the first assessment of the service which registered in January 2025. The assessment commenced on 16 June 2026 and was completed on 19 June 2026. Site visits took place on 16 and 17 June 2026. A new manager had started in their role 2 weeks prior to the assessment. They were experienced and had been registered manager in another of the provider’s services.
People received safe care. They were supported by a consistent and skilled staff team, who knew them well. Recruitment was managed safely and staff received high quality induction, supervision, training and support. The home was safe, comfortable and well maintained. The new manager had plans to develop dedicated units within the service for people with similar needs. For example, people living with dementia. People had choices in relation to furnishing their own rooms. Medicines were managed safely and there were clear processes in place to manage safeguarding events.
Risks to people’s health, safety and wellbeing were assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff knew how to support people and understood their needs. The positive effects of this were evidenced through, for example, people’s need for medication to manage behaviour being reduced and people experiencing good outcomes when previous placements had broken down.
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 that staff and management worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to excessive restrictions, and they were supported to have as much choice and independence as possible.
People’s needs were thoroughly assessed before they started to use the service. There was no pressure for admissions to be made which meant people were only offered placement when the manager was assured the service was right for them and they would fit in well with the people already living at the service. Processes were in place to evidence people’s care and support was monitored. As a result of this we saw people’s health and wellbeing had improved and their independence increased. We observed kind, friendly and respectful interactions between people and staff and a focus on person centred care.
Care plans highlighted people’s diverse needs and preferences. The management team and staff demonstrated a very strong commitment to person-centred support and actions were in place to address what people told us was a lack of activity provision within the home.
The provider had a clear shared vision and strategy, and the home was well supported by the manager, the clinical manager and wider staff team. There was a robust programme of effective audits and checks to make sure quality was maintained. There was a culture of learning and improvement, and people’s opinions were sought, valued and acted upon. Staff felt the new manager had made a very positive impact and appreciated the inclusive approach.