During an assessment under our new approach
Date of Assessment: 30 June to 14 July 2026. Rook lodge is a care home. It provides care and support for people with long-term mental health illnesses. At the time of the inspection, there were 8 people using the service.
This was a comprehensive assessment and included all the quality statements across our five key questions. This is the first assessment for this registered service. At this assessment the service has been rated requires improvement.
The provider did not work well with people to understand and manage risks. Staff did not always complete risk assessment forms in full, to ensure they contained sufficient detail in the required areas. Where risk management plans were in place, these were not detailed enough to ensure staff had all the necessary information to deliver safe care and support to people.
Staff were not supported through regular supervision, annual appraisals, or spot checks to assess their knowledge, skills, and competence. This meant the provider could not be assured that staff were receiving appropriate support, monitoring, and opportunities to develop and maintain the skills required to carry out their roles safely.
The provider did not always routinely monitor people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. This meant there was no robust approach for assessing the effectiveness of people’s care, support and appropriate actions were not always taken to improve outcomes. People's needs were not always fully assessed to ensure their physical, mental health, sensory, and social needs were identified and accurately reflected in their care and support plans.
The provider did not always tell people about their rights around consent and did not always respect their rights when delivering care and support. Care plans did not always include signatures from people to evidence consent had been sought before care and support were provided. There was no effective system of record keeping in place. Care plans and risk assessments were not regularly updated to reflect changes in people’s health needs, which may impact the quality and continuity of care.
However, people knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The care people received was easy for them to access and the service worked to eliminate discrimination. People received care that was fair with equal treatment. Reasonable adjustments were made to ensure equal access to the service for all.
The provider made sure medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. People reported they felt safe with staff and were aware of who to contact if they had any concerns regarding abuse or neglect. The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff. Staff told us they felt valued and were treated in a way that supported their wellbeing.
The provider took prompt and appropriate improvement actions in response to the concerns identified during this assessment.
We found 2 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.