Enter and View Report: Rodney House

In September 2024 we visited Rodney House, a specialist residential care home for people with mental health issues, based in a large, listed building close to Liverpool city centre. The home can accommodate a maximum of 57 residents. At the time of our visit several rooms were being refurbished; we were told that this took longer due to the building’s ‘listed’ status. There were 52 residents with ages ranging from residents in their twenties to in their nineties. We were told that gender and age specific care was available for residents.

Summary

We spent more time at Rodney House than we usually do during Enter and View visits, mostly speaking with members of the management team and with residents. We did not see as much of the home as we usually would during Enter and View visits, e.g. we did not see any of the upper floors, communal bathrooms/ toilets, or an empty room to get more of a ‘feel’ for the building environment. 

Having over 50 residents with complex needs, some with challenging behaviours is clearly a difficult environment and staff were upfront about this. Rodney House is not a standard ‘care home’, and we felt it should not be judged as such. From what some residents said and what we observed, staff at Rodney House seemed dedicated and caring. Management and staff appeared willing to learn and make changes to improve the care they provide. Changes including the focus on permanent staff and more robust record keeping seem to be yielding positives according to staff. A quote from one of the residents does seem to support this:

 “I’ve been here years and it’s fine, they look after you. Things are getting better.”

We were pleased to be told that there appeared to be much more continuity in staffing compared to the past. Residents we spoke to told us many positive things, as well as some things they felt could be improved.  Residents seemed very pleased with the food on offer and seemed to have an excellent relationship with the chef and kitchen team as well.

We did observe that there were some issues with the building’s condition, and we were told that this is complicated by Rodney House being a listed building, but the home was trying to address this. We have since been told by management that they are undergoing a survey to improve the smoking area and fixing leaks and are renovating multiple ensuite rooms. We were told the aim is to do it all together, and not have a piecemeal approach.

We saw that the standards of cleanliness in some communal areas could be improved such as in the main lounge where the mirror was visibly dirty and the floor underneath the chairs was visibly sticky. We also saw a full black binbag left in a hallway and several wet floor signs left out on dry floors with no cleaners present.

Rodney House is providing care and support for some of the most complex and vulnerable people in our city. Without the work of the staff some of these residents could face multiple negative outcomes with some being homeless or victims of crime before arriving. Rodney House is not a typical care home and staff face challenging situations beyond the norm. There are environmental improvements that could be made, and it is encouraging that management are aware of this and committed improving conditions for all.

Recommendations 

We make the following recommendations for Rodney House

• Carry out regular maintenance checks around the building and encourage residents to be part of the process.
• Carry out regular spot checks on the cleanliness of communal areas including under seats and mirrors.
• Try to improve accessibility as part of ongoing refurbishments.

Positives and good practice

We found during our visit examples of positives and good practice which included but were not limited to: 

• Residents were positive in their feedback about the quality, quantity and availability of food at the care home. Residents also praised the chef and the team.
• The security system including the facial recognition system makes the care home feel secure. The system seems to allow for a least restrictive approach allowing those residents with capacity in and out freely whilst protecting those under DOLS from leaving.
• The focus on retaining staff seems to be leading to a better atmosphere with staff able to build lasting relationships with residents. This should be further strengthened by management commitment to the real living wage.

Response from owners 

Leadership at Rodney house was proactive with the issues raised in the reports and advised the following regarding our recommendations.

"With regard to your recommendations, I’m unsure if I mentioned we have shortlisted two companies for maintenance contracts of the building. This will ensure maintenance issues will be picked up and addressed professionally and in keeping with building regulations, in real time. The building is so large, and we feel this option will guarantee there will be no delay in addressing property related issues."