Birch Heath Lodge

Birch Heath Lane, Christleton, Chester, Cheshire, CH3 7AP

01244434321

Care Type

Nursing Care

Inspection date

9 February 2023

Provider

Maria Mallaband 17 Limited

Beds

38 beds

About Birch Heath Lodge

Birch Heath Lodge is a nursing care home in Cheshire West and Chester, offering older adults a place to call home in a part of the country known for its welcoming communities. Families seeking care for a loved one will find a setting where the focus is on providing personal attention within a homely environment. It can be a significant step to explore care options, and understanding what a home has to offer is a helpful starting point in finding the right fit.

Birch Heath Lodge provides personal and nursing care to 30 residents aged 65 and over, with capacity for up to 38 people. Accommodation spans two buildings with shared garden and communal facilities. During inspection, concerns were identified regarding the robustness of risk monitoring processes and systems for tracking physical health monitoring, which the manager addressed immediately.

Staff responded to requests for support during the inspection, though residents reported needing to be patient at times. The service uses a dependency tool to assess staffing requirements, and the inspector recommended improved monitoring of how staff are deployed across the service in line with people's dependency levels.

The service had processes in place to assess people under the Mental Capacity Act principles, though inspectors found the service was not always working in line with these. Mixed feedback was received from residents and relatives regarding staffing levels.

Source: CQC inspection report, 25 March 2023

Specialist Care

DementiaLearning disabilitiesOlder peopleYounger adults

Fees and availability

We have not verified a current weekly fee for this home. Ask for a written quote based on the room and care needed, including any extra charges.

Check current vacancies, the admission assessment and visiting arrangements directly with the home.

Care and inspection details

Checked against the CQC register on 20 September 2026. This is a check of published information, not a visit to the home.

Registered service: Care home service with nursing
Registered capacity: 38 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · CH3 7AP

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Dementia; Learning disabilities.

These describe the registration. The home must assess whether it can meet the individual person's needs and whether a place is available.

CQC ratings in more detail

Overall rating shown by CQC: Requires improvement.

Rating report published 25 March 2023. Latest inspection date recorded: 9 February 2023.

Safe: Requires improvement
EffectivePublished 27 May 2021: Good
CaringPublished 14 February 2020: Good
ResponsivePublished 27 May 2021: Good
Well-led: Requires improvement

Questions prompted by these ratings

Safe: What changes have been made to medicines, staffing and safeguarding since this rating?
Well-led: What has changed in management, checks and oversight since this rating?

These are questions for your visit, not a claim about conditions today.

Read Birch Heath Lodge's CQC record and reports.

Contains Care Quality Commission information under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratings and registration details can change after the date checked.

5 Questions to Ask on Your Visit

When visiting Birch Heath Lodge, consider asking...

1.What specific dementia training do staff receive and how recently?
2.How do you support a resident who becomes distressed or confused?
3.How does the home keep a record of a resident's life history and personal preferences?
4.How do you involve families as dementia progresses and communication becomes harder?
5.What happens when a resident's dementia reaches an advanced stage?

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit Birch Heath Lodge, look out for...

1.Is the environment calm, uncluttered and easy to navigate?
2.Do staff speak to residents with patience and dignity, even if they repeat themselves?
3.Are there memory cues around the home -- photos, familiar objects, clear signage?
4.Do residents seem settled and safe, or agitated and unsupervised?
5.Is there meaningful activity happening, or are residents just sitting quietly with nothing to do?

Could the NHS fund Birch Heath Lodge's fees?

The average nursing home costs £1,535 per week. That's £79,820 a year. NHS Continuing Healthcare could cover all of it. No means test, no contribution from you.

Find out if the NHS could fund these fees