Ruth Lodge

Ratings

• Overall

  Inadequate

• Safe

  Inadequate

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Inadequate

Our view of the service

Ruth Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 2 people. Residential care is provided to people who have complex learning disabilities and autism. We completed this assessment between 3 December 2024 and 6 December 2024. As part of our assessment methodology for people with a learning disability and autistic people, we assess if services are meeting the Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture (RSRCRC) statutory guidance. This includes: Right support: Model of care and setting maximises people's choice, control and independence. Right care: Care is person-centred and promotes people's dignity, privacy and human rights. Right culture: Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. We found 6 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to dignity and respect, safeguarding, safe care and treatment, staffing, recruitment processes and governance. The provider did not have appropriate systems in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of unsafe care, abuse or neglect. There were not always sufficient levels of suitably qualified and trained staff. The recruitment processes were not robust. People were not always treated in a respectful and dignified way. There was a lack of robust management and provider oversight to review shortfalls of care. In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/ or appeals have been concluded. This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we user our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.

People's experience of this service

There were practices within the service that were undignified. People were not always supported to take part in activities that were meaningful to them. Risks associated with people’s care was not always being undertaken in a safe way. People were not always being protected from the risk of abuse. People with communication needs were not always supported to have their voices heard. For people with a learning disability, the principles of RSRCRC were not met as the model of care provided did not allow people to live empowered lives with maximum choice and independence.