Birch Hill Care Centre

Norham, Berwick-upon-tweed, TD15 2JZ

01289382216

Care Type

Residential Care

Assessment date

26 February 2026

Provider

Lenore Care Ltd

Beds

24 beds

About Birch Hill Care Centre

Birch Hill Care Centre is a 24-bed residential home located in Norham, near Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. Operated by Lenore Care Ltd, it provides care for older people, younger adults, and those with dementia, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. The home's small size allows for personalised care in a community-based setting close to the Scottish border.

The centre holds an Outstanding CQC rating, awarded following its most recent inspection in October 2018. Its focus on supporting residents with complex needs, including sensory impairments, distinguishes it within the local care landscape. The home's multi-disciplinary approach accommodates diverse care requirements under one roof, making it suitable for families seeking specialist support across different conditions and age groups.

Specialist Care

DementiaOlder peoplePhysical disabilitiesSensory impairmentsYounger 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 without nursing
Registered capacity: 24 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · TD15 2JZ

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Dementia; Physical disabilities; Sensory impairment.

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: Outstanding.

Assessment published 5 May 2026. Assessment date recorded: 26 February 2026.

Read CQC's assessment overview

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 5 May 2026. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Birch Hill Care Centre is a care home providing accommodation and personalcare to older people including some people living with dementia. The service could accommodate up to 26 people, at the time of the assessment there were 16 people living at the service.
Dated of assessment: 11 March to 27 March 2026.
Birch Hill provided an exceptional standard of care and support and has been rated outstanding overall. The service had a strong, values-led culture where people were at the centre of decisions and staff consistently treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People and relatives spoke highly of the care and described feeling safe, listened to and well supported. Staff knew people well, promoted independence and choice, and responded promptly to people’s needs to minimise discomfort and distress.
Care and treatment were delivered to a consistently high standard. Robust initial assessments, highly personalised care planning and strong multi-disciplinary working supported people to access timely healthcare and to maintain and improve their health and wellbeing. There were safe systems for medicines, infection prevention control, risk management and safeguarding. This was supported through appropriate staffing levels, training and competency checks. Leadership and governance were highly effective, with an open learning culture, strong partnership working and a clear commitment to continuous improvement. Staff were proud to work at Birch Hill and spoke highly of the management team and support they received.

Safe: Good
Effective: Outstanding
Caring: Outstanding
Responsive: Good
Well-led: Outstanding

Read Birch Hill Care Centre'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 Hill Care Centre, 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 Hill Care Centre, 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 Hill Care Centre'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