Rowan Lodge Care Home | Forest Care
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds60
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia, Mental health conditions
- Last inspected2018-06-16
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families and visiting professionals describe a team that really understands what good care looks like. Staff across all roles — from care assistants to management — are noted for their helpful, understanding approach that maintains residents' dignity in daily life.
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth72
- Compassion & dignity72
- Cleanliness70
- Activities & engagement65
- Food quality65
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership75
- Resident happiness70
What inspectors found
Inspected 2018-06-16
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
The January 2025 inspection rated the Effective domain as Good. The home is registered to care for people living with dementia and mental health conditions, which requires staff to have relevant skills and training. The published report does not describe care plan content, training records, GP access arrangements, nutritional monitoring, or dementia-specific assessment tools. No observations about meal quality or dietary management are included.Is this home caring?
The January 2025 inspection rated the Caring domain as Good. No specific inspector observations about staff interactions, use of preferred names, response to distress, or unhurried pace are included in the published findings. There are no quotes from residents or relatives about how they experience the care. The Good rating is a positive signal but the published report provides no texture about what kindness looks like day to day in this home.Is the home responsive?
The January 2025 inspection rated the Responsive domain as Good. No detail about the activity programme, one-to-one engagement, individual preferences in care, or end-of-life planning is included in the published findings. The home's registration covers dementia and mental health conditions, which implies a need for responsive, individualised approaches, but how this works in practice is not described.Is the home well-led?
The January 2025 inspection rated the Well-led domain as Good. Daniel Binney is named as the registered manager and Mark Vickery as the nominated individual for Forest Care Limited. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains suggests the management team has addressed previously identified concerns. No detail about leadership culture, staff empowerment, governance processes, or complaint handling is included in the published findings.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
The home provides care for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those with dementia and mental health conditions. They also offer respite care for families who need short-term support. While the home lists dementia care as a specialism, you'll want to ask about their specific approaches to memory support and daily routines when you visit. All areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Rowan Lodge scores in the solid mid-range, reflecting a home that has improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five domains, but where the published inspection report contains limited specific detail, quotes, or direct observations to confirm what daily life looks like for your parent.
Homes in South East typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families and visiting professionals describe a team that really understands what good care looks like. Staff across all roles — from care assistants to management — are noted for their helpful, understanding approach that maintains residents' dignity in daily life.
What inspectors have recorded
How it sits against good practice
Getting a feel for how staff interact with residents can tell you so much about a care home's culture.
Worth a visit
Rowan Lodge, on Crown Lane near Hook in Hampshire, was assessed in January 2025 and rated Good across all five domains: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. The report was published in July 2025. Notably, this represents an improvement from a previous rating of Requires Improvement, which is an encouraging sign that the management team has addressed earlier concerns. The home is a 60-bed nursing home run by Forest Care Limited, with a registered manager named in post, and it is registered to provide care for people living with dementia and mental health conditions as well as older adults generally. The main uncertainty here is that the full published inspection report contains very limited specific detail about what daily life looks like for your parent. There are no direct quotes from residents or relatives, no observations of staff interactions, and no specifics about food, activities, staffing ratios, or dementia-specific practice. A Good rating is meaningful, particularly following a previous Requires Improvement, but it does not on its own tell you whether the home is the right fit. Before making a decision, visit unannounced if possible, ask the manager to show you last week's actual staffing rota including nights, ask how many permanent versus agency staff covered the dementia unit in the past month, and observe whether staff greet your parent by their preferred name during your tour.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Rowan Lodge Care Home | Forest Care measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Rowan Lodge Care Home | Forest Care describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Professional staff who treat residents with genuine respect and dignity
Rowan Lodge – Your Trusted nursing home
When you're looking for care that combines professionalism with genuine kindness, Rowan Lodge near Hook offers a reassuring environment for older adults. The staff here have built a reputation for being both friendly and conscientious in their approach to care. The home specialises in supporting people over 65, including those living with dementia and mental health conditions.
Who they care for
The home provides care for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those with dementia and mental health conditions. They also offer respite care for families who need short-term support.
While the home lists dementia care as a specialism, you'll want to ask about their specific approaches to memory support and daily routines when you visit.
“Getting a feel for how staff interact with residents can tell you so much about a care home's culture.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
Rowan Lodge scores in the solid mid-range, reflecting a home that has improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five domains, but where the published inspection report contains limited specific detail, quotes, or direct observations to confirm what daily life looks like for your parent.
Homes in South East typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families and visiting professionals describe a team that really understands what good care looks like. Staff across all roles — from care assistants to management — are noted for their helpful, understanding approach that maintains residents' dignity in daily life.
What inspectors have recorded
How it sits against good practice
Getting a feel for how staff interact with residents can tell you so much about a care home's culture.
Worth a visit
Rowan Lodge, on Crown Lane near Hook in Hampshire, was assessed in January 2025 and rated Good across all five domains: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, and Well-led. The report was published in July 2025. Notably, this represents an improvement from a previous rating of Requires Improvement, which is an encouraging sign that the management team has addressed earlier concerns. The home is a 60-bed nursing home run by Forest Care Limited, with a registered manager named in post, and it is registered to provide care for people living with dementia and mental health conditions as well as older adults generally. The main uncertainty here is that the full published inspection report contains very limited specific detail about what daily life looks like for your parent. There are no direct quotes from residents or relatives, no observations of staff interactions, and no specifics about food, activities, staffing ratios, or dementia-specific practice. A Good rating is meaningful, particularly following a previous Requires Improvement, but it does not on its own tell you whether the home is the right fit. Before making a decision, visit unannounced if possible, ask the manager to show you last week's actual staffing rota including nights, ask how many permanent versus agency staff covered the dementia unit in the past month, and observe whether staff greet your parent by their preferred name during your tour.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Rowan Lodge Care Home | Forest Care measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Rowan Lodge Care Home | Forest Care describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Professional staff who treat residents with genuine respect and dignity
Rowan Lodge – Your Trusted nursing home
When you're looking for care that combines professionalism with genuine kindness, Rowan Lodge near Hook offers a reassuring environment for older adults. The staff here have built a reputation for being both friendly and conscientious in their approach to care. The home specialises in supporting people over 65, including those living with dementia and mental health conditions.
Who they care for
The home provides care for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those with dementia and mental health conditions. They also offer respite care for families who need short-term support.
While the home lists dementia care as a specialism, you'll want to ask about their specific approaches to memory support and daily routines when you visit.
The home & environment
The home is kept clean and well-maintained, with good facilities for activities. There's an organised programme of activities run by visiting therapists, giving residents opportunities to stay engaged and supported throughout their day.
“Getting a feel for how staff interact with residents can tell you so much about a care home's culture.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
