Key Information
Choosing a care home for yourself or a loved one is a difficult decision that many of us will face. We are delighted that you are considering Birtley House, and we would like to ensure that your decision is fully informed. We would therefore like to draw your attention to some key information, which should be fully considered ahead of the next step in this process, namely our pre-admission assessment.
We will also be very happy to discuss any further questions you have and provide you with any further support needed to help you with your decision.
Inspected and rated Good by the Care Quality Commission
Care Quality Commission
Our regulatory body Commission
Our home is registered as a nursing home by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) whose responsibility it is to ensure that standards are met and maintained. The CQC will carry out inspections at our home to ensure that we are meeting our obligations as a responsible provider. Details of our current rating and the full report are in reception or can be found online at cqc.org.uk.
About Birtley House
Having celebrated the business’s 90th birthday in July 2022, Birtley House continues to thrive as a wholly family-owned nursing home. At the same time, we have established a reputation for leading and innovating the sector. This, together with the determination to offer exceptional individualised care in a warm, homely and welcoming environment, sets our home apart from the competition.
We are forward-thinking in our commitment to the environment and well advanced in our green credentials with a woodchip fuelled boiler, home grown produce from our historic kitchen garden and many other environmentally friendly initiatives.
We pride ourselves on strong community engagement, with several charitable and/or community organisations accessing the grounds and its facilities including a Forest school.
The combination of these factors creates an environment of continuity, integrity, and a market leading caring ethos, quite unlike any other nursing home. This gives the residents not only the best care but also a quality of life that embraces the peacefulness of beautiful surroundings as well as being part of a vibrant community.
The Care we provide
We provide care for a range of needs, including residential, nursing, short respite stays and rehabilitation. Prior to moving into our home, we will carry out a care assessment to ensure that we are able to meet the needs of our prospective resident and to allow us to prepare a personalised care plan according to their individual needs and preferences.
Rooms vary in size and character and are regularly refurbished to ensure standards of decoration remain high. All bar one of the rooms have en-suite toilet facilities and 20 rooms have en-suite shower rooms. There are 4 communal bathrooms providing a mix of shower and bathing options, with specialist equipment.
Facilities and Servies
Residents and their family and friends are encouraged to use a variety of communal areas including a traditional drawing room, a sitting room, a veranda roof terrace and a self-service café which offers complimentary refreshments during its open hours.
The grounds and surrounding gardens at Birtley House are a key part of the nursing home and those who live and work here benefit greatly from the beautiful outside space. This creates a strong sense of belonging, and quality of life that few care homes can offer to their residents. We were delighted to win The Caring UK national award for ‘Best Outdoor Environment’ in 2022.
The principal dining area, the Orangery, overlooks our stunning Rose Garden gives residents the opportunity to come together to dine in beautiful surroundings. Residents can also choose to take their meals in their rooms or apartments.
The building has wireless internet available throughout and this is freely available to residents and visitors alike.
We have a team of physiotherapists with whom we have worked for over 20 years and who make full use of our outside space, weather permitting, or exercise within the home.
We have an on-site hairdressing salon with services being provided by a visiting hairdresser, as well as a visiting massage therapist and a foot health specialist.
Details of services available and current charges can be found attached to your contract and are also included in your welcome pack.
There are two lifts to access the first and second floors of the building.
The heating and hot water is supplied from an environmentally friendly woodchip fuelled central heating system with gas and electric backup systems. A standby generator is available to power the entire building in the event of a power cut.
In ensuring effective medication management and care planning, we make sure that regular care reviews and medication reviews are taking place, which are conducted with residents and their representatives to ensure holistic and personalised care and support is provided 24/7.
Our personalised electronic care planning system communicates the right information clearly, to the right people, when required.
Accommodation
Bedrooms are fully furnished but our residents are encouraged to personalise their rooms, and small additional items of furniture may be brought in for the duration of residency subject to space in the room.
Any personal items brought into our home will be subject to a safety check and risk assessment to ensure that they do not impede the safe delivery of personalised care.
A number of rooms have fixed overhead hoists, but most of the rooms are accessible to mobile lifting equipment of which we have a comprehensive range.
All bedrooms have:
- An armchair, a telephone, a chest of drawers, hanging space, bedside table and lamp and a call bell system.
- Electric profiling bed unless the individual wishes to have their own divan bed (subject to assessment).
- Temperature controls to provide local adjustment and thermostatic mixers on basin taps.
- Modern televisions and access to a communal satellite TV facility (by personal subscription at additional cost). Residents will be registered by Birtley House under the TV licencing authority ‘Accommodation for Residential Care’ (ARC) scheme at no additional cost to our residents.
Birtley House is able to accommodate 47 residents, and we provide care for a range of needs including residential and nursing. We also provide respite care subject to availability.
We also have a number of West Wing Apartments available to buy on a different financial basis for those looking to reduce the cost of longer-term care. Please ask for details.
Staffing
The staffing levels that we deploy within our home are linked to the combined total of the needs of those choosing to live within the home.
The volume of staffing within the building at any given time will fluctuate both in line with the needs of the individuals we are supporting and the time of day/night that is being considered. The level of care that each resident receives will depend on an assessment of their individual care needs carried out before admission.
We draw upon the skills, experience and knowledge of our department heads and our team of Clinical Lead nurses and registered nurses, led by our Registered Manager (a registered nurse herself). The Registered Manager is supported in turn by our Leadership team and our five Directors who are fully involved in the day to day running of the home.
We recognise that our staff are integral to providing consistent high-quality care. Therefore, we provide an outstanding working environment with a robust training and induction programme, and a market-leading benefits package. To recognise and validate our achievements in this area, in November 2023 we won the Surrey Care Association Award for ‘Innovation in Workforce Recruitment and Retention’.
Our teams are further supported by our 24-hour call bell system and associated assisted technology that is in place in the home.
In the case of personal preference, such as whether a male or female care assistant attends to your personal care needs, we will make every reasonable attempt to satisfy your preferences, but this cannot be guaranteed in all cases.
Dining and Hospitality
We employ a full team of chefs supported by kitchen assistants and porters who provide a wide variety of seasonal fresh home-cooked meals, as well as homemade cakes, desserts, snacks and afternoon tea.
We have a large kitchen garden at the rear of the home, which supplies fresh home-grown fruit, vegetables, and herbs to the kitchen throughout the year including our own annual crop of fresh asparagus and in the summer an abundance of strawberries which are enjoyed at our annual strawberry tea party.
We have an on-site self-serve Café which is stocked with complimentary drinks and snacks for residents and their visitors during its opening hours.
We can cater for most dietary requirements (although we are not a nut free kitchen). Catering requirements, allergies and dietary preferences must be discussed with the chef.
We are proud of our five-star hygiene rating, which is reviewed every year. Our latest food hygiene rating is displayed in the entrance hall and can be found online at www.ratings.food.gov.uk
Lifestyle and wellbeing
We have a dedicated lifestyle and well-being team who organise internal and external activities for residents to enjoy as well as one-to-one sessions. We have our own large minibus alongside two wheelchair accessible vehicles. The team plan a varied programme of activities each day from Monday to Friday tailored to residents’ hobbies and interests.
Our nursing home room fees are priced weekly and are based on individual needs and dependencies, and as such can only be confirmed once our pre-admission assessment has been carried out and you have selected your choice of room (subject to availability).
Our fee is made up of two elements to allow maximum choice and flexibility to our residents as follows:
- Room Fees — we offer three grades of room (Standard, Premium and Deluxe) based on the size, character and view or outlook of the room.
- Dependency fee — we use an independent assessment tool to assess the care needs of our residents and have five categories of Care (Low, Low +, Medium, Medium + and High).
- Prices range from £1,995 (standard room with low dependency) to £3,175 (Deluxe room with high dependency) per week.
Pricing
West Wing Apartments – This accommodation option is charged on a different basis to our nursing home rooms; full details can be provided upon request.
Funded Nursing Care
Residents who have nursing needs may be entitled to receive funding in part by a contribution from the NHS known as Funded Nursing Care (FNC). For 2023/2024 this is £235.88 per week. FNC is a non-means tested benefit that is paid to our home once an assessment has been carried out and the NHS confirm that a resident is eligible. Once we receive the funds, this is credited onto your next invoice.
Please note that we cannot guarantee that you will be granted FNC, nor can we guarantee that the benefit will remain in place for the duration of your residency at our home. For the avoidance of doubt, the full assessed fee will remain payable by you.
Depletion of funds and funding eligibility
We request that where a permanent resident (or their representative) has insufficient funds remaining to meet one year’s worth of fees, they must make contact with the Managing Director to discuss the options with regard to future payment. Agreement to pay the weekly fee is a condition of occupation and, if not paid by the resident (or their representative or a third party) , may lead to the resident being asked to leave the home.
If you move into the home as a self-funding resident but subsequently reach the threshold level to receive assistance from your Local Authority, or your needs change such that the NHS may agree to fund your care, you will need to liaise with the relevant authorities to make an application to receive funding. For the avoidance of doubt, the weekly fee will remain payable in full whilst any application for funding assistance is made and any relevant notice to leave the home is given.
As the provision funded by the Local Authority or NHS is for a basic care package only, it will not cover our fees in full.
For residents granted Local Authority Funding, we may be able to move you to a lower grade room if one is available, however you should be aware that if you (or your representative) cannot pay the balance of the full fee we may have to ask the resident to leave the home.
For NHS Funding (also called Continuing Care Funding), should you be eligible and choose to accept this, we are not able to accept a ‘top-up’ under any circumstances. Therefore, you will need to serve the required notice to terminate your contract and move to a care home that accepts NHS funded placements.
Our Fees Include:
Our Care Home fees include all the below costs associated with your personalised care package:
- Liaison with relevant outside agencies such as medical practitioners
- Assistance with personal care and ongoing care reviews
- Heat and light
- Meals (including a choice of menus), snacks and drinks
- Access to lounges, café and drawing room
- Specialist bathrooms
- Extensive gardens
- Bedding and towels
- In-house laundry service
- An activities and entertainment programme
- Telephone calls
- Wi-Fi access
- Annual testing of residents’ personal electrical equipment
Our fees exclude:
Our Care Home fees exclude the below costs:
- Transporting or accompanying you to medical/ hospital or similar appointments
- Beauty treatments, manicures, hairdressing or dental care
- Physiotherapy, aromatherapy massage, reflexology, podiatry care or chiropody
- Alcoholic beverages
- Personal newspapers or stationery
- Toiletries, incontinence pads, clothing, shoes or slippers
- Smoking or vaping materials
- Personal preference food/drink/snacks or confectionary not provided as part of our usual menus/service
- Some specialist medical equipment, as recommended for specific clinical needs Special outings e.g. theatre tickets
- Dry cleaning
Changes to dependency
It is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list but are examples of typical additional services.
Respite, or short stays, are subject to room availability and may be arranged for a minimum of two weeks. There is a one-off admin fee of E150.
Respite care is often used as a precursor to long term care options, and in these circumstances, should the residency extend longer than 42 days/6 weeks it will be considered a permanent stay.
We will regularly review the care needs of the resident using our independent assessment tool and our reasonable professional judgment. If the resident’s needs change during the period of their residency, requiring greater staff input and support, the Company may increase the fees in order to meet this higher level of support.
We will use our reasonable endeavours to provide the resident and/or representative with 28 days’ written notice of any change in fees to meet the cost of higher-level care and support. Higher levels of care and support (for example 1:1 care) will only be initiated and charged to the resident without 28 days’ notice being given by the Home, if it is required in order to protect the resident, other residents or staff from the risk of harm, which in most circumstances will have been discussed in advance of the written notice by a member of our nursing team.
Fee Increases
Our annual fee review takes place on 1st March each year. If a fee increase is necessary, it will apply to all residents regardless of the date of admission to the Home. Residents will be given at least 28 days’ notice of any fee increase.
Any fee increase is based on the percentage increase in the monthly Retail Price Index (All Items) figure published for the December before the relevant 1st March and the figure previously published for December 12 months before. If the RPI (All Items) figure is below 5% a minimum increase of 5% will apply. The maximum increase that we will apply based on the RPI (All Items) will never be more than 12%. The increase will apply to the Total Fee.
Some other times we may increase/decrease a resident’s fee are:
- There is a change in the resident’s care needs.
- There is a change in the resident’s choice of room.
- There is a change in any legal requirements to which the Home is subject, and which will lead to an immediate increase in the Home’s costs.
Save for where there is an urgent need to provide higher levels of care and support to avoid harm, we will notify the resident or their representative at least 28 days in advance of any increase in the Company’s fees (insofar as this is practicable) or as soon as is reasonably practicable.
Temporary Absence
If you are temporarily absent from the Home, we will keep your room for you. We will continue to charge our full fee.
Termination of contract
We hope that you remain in our care for as long as is required but should circumstances change, our contract allows you to terminate your agreement with us with the following notice: for stays up to 42 days (6 weeks) — 7 days’ notice is required. For stays of 43 days or longer — 28 days’ notice is required to terminate.
On rare occasions, we may notify you of our intention to terminate the agreement by giving you the same written notice and clearly stating the reasons for this. This may result from non-payment of fees, or under circumstances where we are no longer able to meet the needs of our resident. In both cases, consultations will have taken place prior to such notice being served. You will find a full explanation of the terms, conditions, and notice periods applicable in our Resident Agreement which can be obtained from reception.
Complaints Procedure
We welcome and encourage communication, including constructive criticism and feedback, from our residents and relatives through the Home’s Registered Manager. Our Registered Manager operates an open-door policy to encourage this practice. We are always seeking ways to improve the quality of our service and to improve the resident experience.
It is important that your concerns are raised with the Registered Manager as soon as possible.
A copy of the full complaint’s procedure is on display in our home’s reception area and can be obtained from the Registered Manager upon request.
Contents Insurance
Our insurance policy provides cover for Resident’s personal belongings up to a maximum value of £l,OOO at any time, except for high-risk items such as jewellery/hearing aids/spectacles/dentures/ cash. If personal belongings, such as furniture, cash, credit cards, deeds, documents or personal effects of greater value are kept in the Home, they should be covered by the resident’s own Insurance.
Clothing
All personal clothing must be named prior to being brought into the Home with a small tag name sewn into the garment. If personal clothing is not named, we will name all items at a cost of E25 per 30 items
Pets
We promote a culture where we recognise the benefits that animals can have on the wellbeing of residents. Our Registered Manager will therefore aim to accommodate a resident’s pet and visiting animals on a case-by-case basis. Although please note, we might be able to only accommodate small household pets. Large pets, exotic species or animals that require substantial support from care staff cannot be accepted.
Visiting
Visiting times are as flexible as possible. There are no restrictions but if personal care or treatments are to be carried out during the course of a visit, we may request that visitors wait outside the room until the Resident is ready to receive them
Spiritual Needs
Our Home supports our residents to maintain their spiritual and religious practices and such requirements should be discussed with the Registered Manager prior to admission so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
Book in to view our award-winning Nursing Home in Surrey Today
Come and see for yourself what makes Birtley House so special. Get in touch today to arrange a visit and experience our award-winning care, beautiful grounds, and welcoming community firsthand. We’d love to show you around and welcome you to Birtley House.