- Care home
Castleholme Lodge
Assessment report published 13 August 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Castleholme Lodge is a care home that supports people with mental health needs alongside other health conditions. The service provides accommodation for up to 20 people requiring personal or nursing care. At the time of the inspection, 17 people were receiving regulated care. Assessment took place from 21 to 23 July 2026.
The serviced demonstrated a strong commitment to delivering person-centred, therapeutic support through a multidisciplinary team consisting of registered nurses, healthcare assistants, an occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant, as well as a psychologist and psychology assistant. This collaborative approach enabled people not only to have their care needs met but also to work towards realistic therapeutic goals that enhanced their independence, confidence, and overall quality of life.
Promoting people's health and wellbeing was a clear priority for both the management and staff teams, resulting in improved health and social outcomes. People were supported to make progress in areas including mobility, nutrition, and mental health, contributing to positive and meaningful improvements in their wellbeing.
The registered manager and wider management team demonstrated outstanding leadership, underpinned by a clear vision and a positive, inclusive culture. Staff consistently reflected these values in their day-to-day practice, creating a warm, welcoming, and person-centred environment. Leaders worked collaboratively, drawing on their expertise to support staff in delivering high-quality care. Strong relationships with healthcare professionals and community organisations further enhanced the support available to people and contributed to positive outcomes. Despite the high standards already achieved, there was a clear commitment to continuous improvement, with leaders and staff actively seeking opportunities to further enhance people's experiences and outcomes.
Robust auditing and governance systems enabled concerns and areas for improvement to be identified promptly. Findings were shared effectively across the team to promote learning, drive improvement, and sustain high standards of care.
People and their relatives consistently told us they felt safe at the service. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of safeguarding responsibilities, and staffing levels were sufficient to ensure people received safe and responsive support. The environment was exceptionally clean, free from odours, and maintained to a high standard, with staff adhering to effective infection prevention and control practices.
Care plans and risk assessments provided detailed guidance on how best to support people and ensure their needs were met safely. Support was delivered in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), and staff were observed providing care that upheld people's dignity, respect, choice, and independence.
People and their relatives were regularly encouraged to share feedback about the service and were kept informed through ongoing communication and updates.
People's experience of this service
Feedback from people, and their relatives described an exceptionally caring, supportive and high-quality service where people were treated with dignity, respect and compassion. Comments were very positive and included, “I love it here, I do not want to change. I want to stay here forever. I love the staff and they love me”. A relative told us, “[Person] now enjoys art and baking, and they often leave their room to sit in the communal lounge to watch TV. This is a huge positive change for them”.
People’s rooms were observed to be very personalized and spacious, with a sleeping area, living area, and en-suite bathroom.
People’s social and emotional needs were met through creative, meaningful, and engaging opportunities. The service went beyond to ensure people’s interests, preferences and personal wishes were recognised and fulfilled. An example of this was a daily activities planner set up by the occupational therapist which included one to one time for people to utilise, if they did not wish to engage with group activities.
People were supported and encouraged to engage with co-production activities such as involvement in governance meetings and staff recruitment interviews.
Staffdemonstratedan in-depth understanding of people and those important to them, building strong, meaningful relationships.
People described being able to make choices about their daily lives and were supported to be as independent as possible and take part in meaningful experiences.
A relative told us, “[Person’s]quality of life has improved drastically since they moved intoCastleholmeLodge”.