Birch Abbey
- Care home
- 60 beds
- Nursing care
- Dementia care
- Registered since 2021
- Southport, Sefton, North West
Requires improvement
Rated on
Rating from the Care Quality Commission.
At a glance
4 ratings
Its last inspection moved it down from Good to Requires improvement.
18 months
since the latest rating was published.
21 of 106
rated care homes in Sefton are rated Requires improvement, like this one.
Birch Abbey: inspection record
Rated Requires improvement in April 2025, down from Good.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||||||||||||
| Safe | ||||||||||||
| Effective | ||||||||||||
| Caring | ||||||||||||
| Responsive | ||||||||||||
| Well-led |
Ratings published by the Care Quality Commission.
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: Abingdon (Good, less than 0.1 miles away) and Rosebank Care Home (Good, 0.1 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G Abingdon Good, less than 0.1 miles away
- G Rosebank Care Home Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Argyle Park Care Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Benridge Residential Care Home Good, 0.2 miles away
- G Blair House Care Home Good, 0.2 miles away
What inspectors found
From the Care Quality Commission's assessment published 9 April 2025 (assessment visit 17 May 2024). Quoted under the Open Government Licence.
Date of assessment: 8 January to 3 February 2025. Birch Abbey is a residential care home
- Safe No rating
- Effective No rating
- Caring No rating
- Responsive Good
- Well-led No rating
Read the rest of CQC's summary
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.
-
Safe
No rating
Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable
harm. At our last assessment, we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating
has changed to requires improvement. This meant some aspects of the service were not always
safe, and there was limited assurance about safety. There was an increased risk that people
could be harmed.
-
Effective
No rating
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 good. At this assessment, the rating has
changed to requires improvement. This meant the effectiveness of people’s care, treatment and
support did not always achieve good outcomes or was inconsistent.
-
Caring
No rating
Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them
with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has
changed to requires improvement. This meant people did not always feel well-supported, cared
for or treated with dignity and respect.
-
Responsive
Good
Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.
-
Well-led
No rating
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 requires
improvement. At this assessment the rating has remained requires improvement. This meant the
management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not
always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.
The service was in breach of the legal regulation in relation to governance at the service.
Questions to ask when you visit
- Safe was rated Requires improvement on 9 April 2025. Ask how medicines are managed, how staffing levels are decided and how incidents are reviewed.
- Effective was rated Requires improvement on 9 April 2025. Ask about staff training and how health appointments are arranged.
- Caring was rated Requires improvement on 9 April 2025. Ask how staff protect dignity and how residents are involved in decisions about their care.
- Well-led was rated Requires improvement on 9 April 2025. Ask about changes in management and what has changed since the report.
Registration details
- Registered manager
- Rachel Smalley
- Registered with the CQC since
- What it provides
- Care home service with nursing
- Who it supports
- Dementia, Mental Health, Older People, Physical Disability, Sensory Impairment, Younger Adults
Inspection report
Read the full inspection report (opens the Care Quality Commission website)2 inspection reports, latest 5 August 2022. Latest assessment published 9 April 2025; the Care Quality Commission's newer assessments are published on its website rather than as reports.
The rating is the Care Quality Commission's. We show it as published and do not change it.
Who runs it
- Provider
- DHCH14 Limited
- Ownership type
- Organisation
- Companies House number
- 12415416 (opens Companies House)
DHCH14 Limited runs 23 services, all in the North West. 17 are rated Good or Outstanding, 3 are rated Requires improvement or Inadequate and 3 have no rating yet.
Other services run by DHCH14 Limited
- O Church View Outstanding. Care home with nursing, Liverpool
- G Argyle Park Care Good. Care home, Sefton
- G Ashton View Nursing Home Good. Care home with nursing, Wigan
- G Avonleigh Gardens Good. Care home, Oldham
Getting help from Sefton Council
The council can assess what care someone needs and tell them what help with the cost they may get.
- Adult social care at Sefton Council
- Ask for a care needs assessment
- Phone: 0345 140 0845, Monday to Thursday 9am to 5.30pm, Friday 9am to 5pm
- Support for carers
- Paying for care: Sefton Council
Checked on the council's website, November 2026.
Common questions
- Does Birch Abbey provide nursing care?
- Yes. The Care Quality Commission lists Birch Abbey as a care home with nursing.
- How many beds does Birch Abbey have?
- The Care Quality Commission's register lists 60 beds at Birch Abbey.
- When was Birch Abbey last inspected?
- The Care Quality Commission's latest rating for Birch Abbey was published on 9 April 2025.
- Who runs Birch Abbey?
- Birch Abbey is run by DHCH14 Limited. It runs 23 services, all in the North West.
- What is Birch Abbey's CQC rating?
- Its overall rating from the Care Quality Commission is Requires improvement, published on 9 April 2025.
Contact
- Phone
- 01704 410010
- Address
- 55 Alexandra Road, Southport, PR9 9HD Map (opens Google Maps)
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: Abingdon (Good, less than 0.1 miles away) and Rosebank Care Home (Good, 0.1 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G Abingdon Good, less than 0.1 miles away
- G Rosebank Care Home Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Argyle Park Care Good, 0.1 miles away
- G Benridge Residential Care Home Good, 0.2 miles away
- G Blair House Care Home Good, 0.2 miles away