Birch Heath Lodge

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.