Young people’s inpatient mental health care rated good in Leeds and York
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated child and adolescent mental health wards in Leeds and York as “good” in a report following inspections in October 2025.
Inspectors visited Red Kite View in Leeds, and Mill Lodge in York (pictured above). Both units provide inpatient services for children and young people with serious mental illness.
They spoke with seven young people and four carers, and reviewed minutes from young people’s community meetings which were held on the ward. They have reported that “young people were positive about the service, and they thought staff were kind and helpful and that they could speak to them when they needed to.”
The report goes on to say that “the service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity,” and that “staff attitudes and behaviours when interacting with young people showed that they were discreet, respectful and responsive, providing them with help, emotional support and advice at the time they needed it.”
Kay Lawn, Head of Operations for Children and Young People Services at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am absolutely delighted that our young people’s services have been rated as good by the CQC. The staff work hard to provide high quality care every day for children and young people, and it is great that this has been recognised.”
Nichola Sanderson, Director of Nursing and Professions at the Trust, added: “This is positive news for the children and young people in our care who require inpatient mental health support and reflects our continued focus on delivering high quality, safe services. We are already taking proactive steps to address the areas for improvement linked to safety.”
Headline findings
Staff assessed the physical and mental health needs of people when they were admitted. Individual care plans were developed, reviewed regularly and updated when needed so people received the care they needed.
Staff worked well across different teams to help support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once when they moved between different services.
The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.
Staff told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care.
Staff treated people with compassion and kindness and respected their privacy and dignity. They understood their individual needs and supported them to understand and manage their care, treatment or condition.
Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.
Leaders hadn’t ensured all staff were trained in safeguarding to keep people safe but had plans in place to ensure all staff were trained after the inspection.
Staff didn’t consistently follow good practice with regards to medicines management, including how it was given to people and records showing what they’d been given.
Read the full report on the CQC’s website.
Page last updated: 9th Mar 2026 4:37pm