Birch Hill Care Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained outstanding. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently better than expected compared to similar services. People’s feedback described it as exceptional and distinctive.

This service scored 88 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

The registered manager completed assessments with people before they moved into the service. Care plans were robust, person-centred and reflected people’s assessed needs. Records were updated when people’s needs or preferences changed. People said that staff regularly discussed their care with them.

The provider always planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation. They worked to develop evidence-based good practice and standards.

People and, where appropriate, their relatives were involved in planning their care. Records were in place to support this. Care plans and risk assessments were exceptionally person-centred. For example, care plans contained detailed guidance about how each person presented differently with symptoms of a chest infection. Staff were fully aware of best practice guidance and how to seek further support.

The cook explained, “If anything relating to food changes i.e. after a Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) team visit we would work with the care team to implement any changes. I work closely with [a senior carer] at the end of a month to see if any resident has unexplained weight loss or gains and we would discuss the way forward with the residents in question, how we can increase lost weight maybe through smaller more often meals, or higher calorific foods and drinks.”

A visiting professional shared a success story for one of their clients saying, “[A relative] expressed high praise for the care at Birch Hill, stating they would award the home a ‘platinum star’ for its exceptional service. They credited the staff with [person’s] continued mobility and absence of pressure wounds, noting staff member’s efforts have gone above and beyond expectations. The relative calls [person] twice weekly and consistently finds the staff to be informative and supportive.”

The provider always worked well across teams and services to support people. They shared thorough assessments of people’s needs when they moved between different services, so people only needed to tell their story once.

Every single person who was involved in the care of a person at Birch Hill was part of the team. Multiple staff and relatives referred to the ‘Birch Hill Family’ which embraced people in their care. Staff worked well as a team; they constantly supported each other and found it very easy to speak to all members of the management team. Staff told us this strong team enabled them to provide exceptional care to people.

A staff member said, “We all receive training with equipment and everyone has opportunity to be hands on, it doesn't matter if you work as a carer, in the kitchen, domestic or handyman and this brings the staff closer and helps to understand different roles.”

There were grab packs in place for each resident, including copies of their medication, and advanced healthcare decision documents, staff knew exactly where to go if they needed to find this information to support people moving between services.

There was a virtual ward round each week with a clearly defined scope meaning the GP (or other suitable health professional) only needed to attend the service when required. This worked well for the home and the GP minimising disruption to the home, people and the GP. A member of the local healthcare team praised the staff for their vigilance and knowing when to call in a medical professional.

People only needed to tell their story once, with information being shared appropriately with other health and social care partners. People were also given the opportunity to tell their story again if they wanted to.

These examples demonstrate that staff and teams work well together resulting in an seamless experience for people.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

Where people were on specialist diets due to health needs, staff ensured people received the appropriate food and drinks. People were encouraged to maintain their independence, such as moving around the home and accessing the outdoor spaces. Staff ensured people had timely access to specialist health care services.

The provider monitored all people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they fully met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

People’s outcomes were continuously monitored, which meant staff were able to respond to people’s changing needs immediately. There were numerous examples of positive outcomes where people had made significant improvements, or their deterioration has been slowed down, due to the work the service had done with them.

The service have two therapy dogs that visit once a week. One person often refused to accept to personal care from staff when first moving into the home. Initially the person did not want to meet the dogs, but became curious when seeing them. Over several visits the dogs established a calming presence with the person, and staff were able to support them with personal care while the dogs were present. Over time staff have built a relationship with the person and are usually able to give the person support when she needs it with and without the dogs.

The service supported a person who came to stay on end-of-life care. They worked with the person to support them with tailored care and nutrition and supported them to increase their independence. This person recovered to the point of moving back into their own home and with a positive prognosis.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The MCA requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to make particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the MCA.

Appropriate best interests decisions were in place to ensure people were safe and cared for in their best interests.