Birch Abbey

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 9 April 2025. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment: 8 January to 3 February 2025. Birch Abbey is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 60 people of all ages, living with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. At the time of our assessment, 33 people lived at the home. This assessment was carried out due to emerging risk. The overall rating of the service has changed from good to requires improvement. The provider was in breach of the legal regulation relating to governance. Learning was not consistently embedded which led to repeat incidents. Some admissions were not safely managed, and staff lacked the necessary training to manage risks effectively. Policies were not always followed, and improvements in recording were needed, for example, wound care monitoring. Further improvements were required in relation to the safety of the environment, medicines management and aspects of infection prevention control (IPC). The provider did not always follow the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and there were inconsistencies in activities and food choices, as well as some delays in seeking medical advice. Ongoing issues with call bells and sensors were being addressed by the provider, but at times, this left people without working safety measures in their bedrooms. Some staff felt unappreciated and unsupported by management, and a high turnover in leaders had contributed to low staff morale. While audits were in place, they were not always effective, for example, actions from fire risk assessments had not been completed, and there were gaps in records. The management team were responsive and proactive in addressing some of the shortfalls we raised. They had already identified some of the main concerns prior to the assessment and had a home improvement plan in place. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.