Birch Hill Care Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 89 (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 had a very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Throughout the assessment it was evident there was an outstanding culture where staff always put people first. Relatives and people understood and valued the ethos of the home and felt part of the shared direction with the staff. There were clear open channels of communication to encourage transparency and improvement, with regular meetings for people and relatives to attend. People were supported to maintain their individuality and be active members of the wider village community.

A healthcare professional said, “Staff and managers are very accessible and will actively listen and act upon advice or information they receive. They provide care which is person centred and patient involvement is evident.”

The management team had organised an event for relatives to learn about dementia and how their loved ones may be affected by it. This supported relatives to understand how the service worked to support people and what best practice guidance the service followed to keep people safe and well cared for

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager was calm, confident and very proud of Birch Hill. The registered manager attended regional support meetings to ensure she remained informed of best practice and changes to guidance. They were incredibly proud of the staff team and were at the forefront of the high-quality care provided at Birch Hill and celebrated the service’s achievements. The registered manager was supported by a new provider, Lenore Care, investing in the service to make continued improvements for residents. When Lenore Care took over the service, they did not immediately impose their way of working on the service and took time to review the registered manager’s approach. The provider was highly satisfied with the management team and have made no significant changes to the way Birch Hill is managed.

A staff member said, “All the management at Birch Hill have always got time for you if you have a problem or something has upset you. Sometimes that is all you need, a bit of a moan at something trivial. However, I know that they really do listen to you and if necessary, take action.”

All levels of the management were proud to work at Birch Hill and how they cared for their residents. There was a clear culture of transparency and integrity which meant that people received safe care where any issues could be dealt with promptly.

The provider was exceptional at fostering a positive culture where people knew they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

All staff felt it was very easy to speak up and be heard. There were numerous people staff could go to for support and all contact details were available to them for example, regional and senior management, and the local safeguarding team. It was ingrained in the culture of the service that staff and people could speak up and be heard.

A staff member said, “Management support is excellent, [the registered and deputy managers] are both really easy to speak to, we see the regional manager, she is also available and her email and phone is available if we need to contact her. We can whistle blow higher up if needed, but I haven’t needed to.”

We saw numerous examples where the management team positively supported staff members to help rebuild their confidence when things had gone wrong. This meant staff were confident in admitting errors and any issues were resolved quickly and safely.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The management team worked to ensure equality and diversity for staff by making policies, support systems and opportunities accessible to everyone. Staff raised no concerns about discrimination in the workplace.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Regular reviews of records, accidents, incidents and feedback from people and staff were in place to ensure the service was providing good quality care. The registered manager shared lessons learnt with staff and with other services belonging to the provider. A new electronic care planning system was being introduced which would support managers with a real-time overview of people’s care each day.

Effective audits were in place to monitor various aspects of the service including medicines, infection control and building safety.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

Staff and the management team collaborated exceptionally well with other health and social care partners. They understood why collaboration was so important and did their absolute best to ensure people had access to the professionals they needed to see. There was an excellent culture of information sharing across the provider’s other services. The provider has introduced ‘peer inspections’ where the registered and deputy managers visit each different home and carry out a simulated inspection. At Birch Hill the manager had acted on recent feedback from one of these to introduce ‘safeguarding competencies’ to assess that staff actual understood their learning around safeguarding. Similarly, the management team were able to support with similar suggestions at other services from their best practice learning.

The care home sits in a small village right on the border between Scotland and England. There was a real sense of belonging and community within the village and people who live at Birch Hill are included in that community. This includes involvement with the local school and trips to the pub to be in and amongst the community in a neutral setting. There was regular support from the local vicar to support people’s religious needs.

A healthcare professional said, “Staff are a really welcoming home, they listen to what I say and you always feel like they want you to be here unlike some places.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The registered manager spoke in detail about continuous improvements being made at the service, based on feedback from people, relatives and staff. For example, ensuring the garden was accessible and suitable for people to use.