Birchwood Care Home

1 Birchwood Road, Newbury, RG14 2PP

0163533967

Care Type

Nursing Care

Inspection date

24 February 2023

Provider

West Berkshire Council

Beds

60 beds

About Birchwood Care Home

Birchwood Care Home brings a warm and attentive approach to nursing care in West Berkshire, offering families the reassurance that their loved ones are in caring, capable hands. The team here understands how significant this decision is, and they work hard to make residents feel genuinely at home from the moment they arrive.

This care home with nursing provides personal care for up to 60 older people, including those living with dementia, physical disabilities or sensory impairments. At inspection, 39 people were resident. The home is organised into five self-contained units across three floors: Maple and Oak on the first floor support people with complex nursing needs, Pine and Ash accommodate those living with dementia, and Walnut on the ground floor houses more independent residents.

Each unit has communal and dining areas, and all residents have individual bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. The home is located in a residential area.

Source: CQC inspection report, 22 March 2023

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 with nursing
Registered capacity: 60 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · RG14 2PP

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: Requires improvement.

Rating report published 22 March 2023. Latest inspection date recorded: 24 February 2023.

Safe: Requires improvement
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: 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 Birchwood Care Home'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 Birchwood Care Home, 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 Birchwood Care Home, 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 Birchwood Care Home'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