Care home · Chesham
Birchwood
Top rated 2026 · one of the services in Buckinghamshire rated Outstanding by CQC
Illustrative photo, not of Birchwood- Address
- Fullers Close, Chesham, HP5 1DP
- Run by
- Salutem LD BidCo IV Limited (24 services)
- Service
- Residential care home
- Beds
- 15 (registered with CQC)
- Registered with CQC
- April 2018 (8 years)
- Part of
- Salutem Bid Co Ltd
- Registered manager
- Katarzyna Danuta Stopa Kucab
- Company check
- Active, trading since 2017 (9 years), accounts up to date (Companies House 10988939)
- Last CQC check
- 27 Feb 2026
- Typical fees Estimated
- £1,400–£1,710 a week for residential care. Estimated from prices published locally; not a quote. How we estimate
CQC regulated activities: Accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care
Open CQC's full report · CQC location ID 1-4658761384
About Birchwood
Registered with CQC as a residential care home, Birchwood is based in Chesham, run by Salutem LD BidCo IV Limited. It supports adults of all ages, with registered specialisms in physical disabilities, learning disabilities and sight or hearing loss.
Its latest CQC rating is Outstanding overall (February 2026). It is one of 10 CQC-registered care homes in and around Chesham; 8 of those are rated Good or Outstanding.
Birchwood over the years
CQC registration dates from April 2018, so the service has been operating for around 8 years under its current registration.
CQC has published 3 overall ratings for it (2019–2026), starting at Requires improvement; it has gone up 1 and down 1 time, and is now Outstanding.
2 reports have been published for this location, most recently on 10 May 2023.
Ownership and company checks
Birchwood is run by Salutem Ld Bidco Iv Limited (company 10988939), incorporated in 2017.
At Companies House, the company is listed as active, its accounts are filed on time, it has 3 active directors and there is no insolvency history.
Its registered business activity is care for people with learning disabilities, mental health problems or substance misuse.
Salutem LD BidCo IV Limited runs 25 CQC-registered services across 16 council areas; 22 of the 25 with a rating are Good or Outstanding (88%), against 84% for the same mix of services across England.
It trades under the Salutem Bid Co Ltd brand, which covers 72 services run by 8 registered providers.
Around Chesham
There are 13 other care homes within 3 miles, 9 of them rated Good or Outstanding; the nearest is Chesham Bois Manor, under 0.5 miles away.
It is registered for needs that fewer services nearby cover: learning disabilities (8 of the nearest 25).
5 of the 25 nearest rated care homes have a more recent rating than this one.
It sits in Chesham South ward, classed by ONS as urban (nearer to a major town or city), among the 40% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. NHS services here are planned by NHS Thames Valley ICB.
Within about a 10-minute walk there is a GP surgery (5 min), a pharmacy (5 min), a park (4 min), a café (7 min) and a bus stop (6 min), which matters for residents who can go out and for visiting family.
Needs it is registered to meet
From the CQC register; ask how each need is met in practice.
Likely fees
We estimate Birchwood at £1,400–£1,710 a week for residential care, based on published prices in the region. Over a year that is roughly £73k–£89k.
Get the extras in writing: items such as hairdressing and outings are usually charged on top.
People with savings under £23,250 may get help from Buckinghamshire Council after a needs and financial assessment.
The inspection, summarised
- We found previous breaches of regulations relating to safe care and treatment, good governance, safeguarding service users from abuse and improper care, staffing, premises, and equipment were complied with, and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
- We found the service was always supporting people with a learning disability in line with this statutory guidance.
- Kindness, compassion and dignity were embedded in everyday practice and supported positive outcomes for people.
- A person commented, “Yes, I have a call bell, staff always respond to it quickly”, and “Definitely feel safe here.
Inspected 15 March 2023; report published 10 May 2023. In CQC's words, from its published findings (Open Government Licence). Read the full report.
What the ratings tell you
Area by area, Caring and Well-led are rated Outstanding; 3 other areas are Good.
Across Buckinghamshire, 6 of 120 rated care homes are Outstanding for Caring (5%), while 5 of 120 rated care homes are Outstanding for Well-led (4%).
Under CQC's newer scoring, its strongest area is Caring at 90% and its lowest is Safe at 72%, averaging 80% overall.
The report's Caring and Well-led section explains what earned the Outstanding rating, which is a useful benchmark when comparing services.
CQC's scores in detail
Under its newer approach, CQC marks each "quality statement" from 1 to 4 and converts the marks into a percentage per area. Averaged across the five areas, Birchwood scores 80%.
Safe 72%
- Learning culture3 · Good
- Safe systems, pathways and transitions3 · Good
- Safeguarding3 · Good
- Involving people to manage risks3 · Good
- Safe environments3 · Good
- Safe and effective staffing3 · Good
- Infection prevention and control3 · Good
- Medicines optimisation2 · Some shortfalls
Effective 75%
- Assessing needs3 · Good
- Delivering evidence-based care and treatment3 · Good
- How staff, teams and services work together3 · Good
- Supporting people to live healthier lives3 · Good
- Monitoring and improving outcomes3 · Good
- Consent to care and treatment3 · Good
Caring 90%
- Kindness, compassion and dignity4 · Exceptional
- Treating people as individuals4 · Exceptional
- Independence, choice and control4 · Exceptional
- Responding to people’s immediate needs3 · Good
- Workforce wellbeing and enablement3 · Good
Responsive 75%
- Person-centred Care3 · Good
- Care provision, Integration and continuity3 · Good
- Providing Information3 · Good
- Listening to and involving people3 · Good
- Equity in access3 · Good
- Equity in experiences and outcomes3 · Good
- Planning for the future3 · Good
Well-led 89%
- Shared direction and culture4 · Exceptional
- Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders3 · Good
- Freedom to speak up4 · Exceptional
- Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion3 · Good
- Governance, management and sustainability3 · Good
- Partnerships and communities4 · Exceptional
- Learning, improvement and innovation4 · Exceptional
Scale: 1 (significant shortfalls) to 4 (exceptional). From CQC, assessed 17 December 2025, published 27 February 2026, Open Government Licence. Statements without a score were not reassessed and their earlier result stands.
Ratings over time
- Jun 2019
- May 2023
- Feb 2026
- Today Rated in the last 12 months
Overall ratings CQC has published for this location, oldest first. The latest rating is an improvement on the one before.
Inspection reports to read
- CQC inspection report 10 May 2023
- CQC inspection report 26 June 2019
Kitchen hygiene rating
The kitchen has a food hygiene rating of 5 (very good), from an inspection on 10 August 2026 by Buckinghamshire. On a visit, ask to see this week's menu and how residents choose what they eat.
From the Food Standards Agency (listed as "Ambito Birchwood"). Open Government Licence.
Where it is
- Ward
- Chesham South
- Council
- Buckinghamshire Council · paying for care
- Parliamentary constituency
- Chesham and Amersham
- NHS planning area
- NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board
- Type of area
- Urban; nearer to a major town or city
- Neighbourhood deprivation
- Among the 40% least deprived areas in England
- Postcode district
- Care homes in HP5 (9)
Open the full map · How to get there · OpenStreetMap (ODbL)
Nearby
- Bus stop 450 m (6 min walk)
- GP surgery Water Meadow Surgery, 400 m (5 min walk)
- Pharmacy Garlicks Chemist, 400 m (5 min walk)
- Shop Waitrose, 880 m (11 min walk)
- Park Wright's Meadow, 310 m (4 min walk)
- Café The Drawing Room, 550 m (7 min walk)
- Place of worship Trinity Baptist Church, 470 m (6 min walk)
- Library Chesham Public Library, 800 m (10 min walk)
Straight-line distances to the nearest of each, from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). Walking routes are longer; check for hills and crossings if you plan to take a relative out.
Ward, NHS area and deprivation from ONS and NHS postcode data (postcodes.io, Open Government Licence).
Safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led
- Safe72% score87 of 120 in Buckinghamshire
- Effective75% score100 of 120 in Buckinghamshire
- Caring90% score6 of 120 in Buckinghamshire
- Responsive75% score103 of 120 in Buckinghamshire
- Well-led89% score5 of 120 in Buckinghamshire
Ratings from CQC's most recent report, published 27 February 2026. Under each rating: how many care homes in Buckinghamshire share it; for example, 6 of 120 care homes in Buckinghamshire rated Outstanding for Caring.
Family reviews
No family has reviewed Birchwood on The Care Panel so far.
We check every review against a working email address and publish positive and negative ones alike; providers can reply but cannot remove them. Reviews are separate from CQC ratings. How reviews work.
Birchwood against its area
- Rated Outstanding. Across Buckinghamshire, 74% of the 120 rated care homes are Good or Outstanding and 5 are Outstanding.
- Its rating (February 2026) is more recent than 84% of care home ratings in Buckinghamshire.
- With 15 beds it is smaller than 64% of care homes in Buckinghamshire, where the typical home has 31.
- Registered with CQC in 2018: it has been registered longer than 33% of care homes in the area.
- It lists 5 specialisms with CQC; the typical care home in Buckinghamshire lists 4.
Comparison set: every registered care home in Buckinghamshire, CQC data for Oct 2026.
Other care homes close by
Guides for families
Newer ratings near Chesham
- White Hill House Residential Care HomeSep 2026
- The WillowJan 2026
- Rayners Residential Care HomeJul 2026
Birchwood: common questions
- Is Birchwood registered for dementia care?
- Its CQC registration does not list dementia. If that is a need now or later, check with the provider before deciding.
- When was Birchwood last inspected?
- CQC published the current rating on 27 February 2026. Older ratings are common, so ask about changes since.
- What kind of care can Birchwood offer?
- Its CQC registration covers residential homes. Ask Birchwood how it would adapt if needs increase.
- What is Birchwood's address?
- It is at Fullers Close, Chesham, HP5 1DP.
- Is Birchwood a registered provider?
- Yes. Birchwood is registered with the Care Quality Commission as a care home (location ID 1-4658761384) and was rated Outstanding overall in February 2026.
- What are Birchwood's fees?
- Birchwood's prices aren't on our site yet. Residential care home typically costs £1,450 a week (average 2026 self-funder fees in South East). Request a written quote and check what is charged on top.
- How did Birchwood score on each CQC key question?
- The five CQC areas: Safe: Good; Effective: Good; Caring: Outstanding; Responsive: Good; Well-led: Outstanding. Safe and Well-led are the two to read first in the report.
- How many residents can Birchwood take?
- Birchwood has 15 registered places. Ask how many are free now and which rooms have en-suites.
- Which provider runs Birchwood?
- The registered provider is Salutem LD BidCo IV Limited, according to CQC.
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In Buckinghamshire
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Information: Care Quality Commission, Oct 2026 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Sections in the provider's own words are theirs; we compiled everything else from public data. The Care Panel is independent and not a care provider.