Birch Abbey

Updated 17 May 2024

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.

Updated 17 May 2024

People and their relatives spoke positively about staff, with comments such as, “They [staff] are lovely” and “Some staff are fabulous.” Some relatives felt confident raising concerns and noted improvements had been made since the current registered manager started working in the home. However, others felt their concerns were not always addressed by the registered manager. Most relatives believed staff treated their family members kindly and with compassion, with one saying, “The staff treat [name] well; I can’t praise them enough.” However, some relatives did not believe their family members were safe, or their needs could be met. Some relatives raised concerns about delayed responses to call bells, poor management of health conditions - including wounds and diabetes - personal hygiene, and staff training. Relatives told us the home was always clean, and staff wore protective clothing when carrying out care tasks. Feedback from families and residents was shared with the management team, who took steps to follow up on the concerns raised.