Care Homes in Birkenhead
Birkenhead has 9 CQC registered care homes. 5 are rated Good, 2 Requires improvement, and 2 have not yet been rated. 4 of the 9 were last inspected more than three years ago.
Source: Care Quality Commission register, kept up to date as ratings change.
Birkenhead at a glance
What the local numbers say about care for older people in Birkenhead, to help you judge the options below.
- Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council pays, residential care: £793 a week. Self-funders are typically asked £1,249 to £1,514, median £1,409
- Care home beds filled across Wirral: 90%. The 12 month average is 90%.
- Care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+: 82
- People aged 75 and over: 37,800. Rising to 44,000 by 2035, up 16%
- Care homes, last 12 months: 1 opened, 4 closed. 5 changed owner, covering 326 beds.
- Who pays, across Wirral (estimate): 46% council, 29% self. The rest is NHS funded or other.
- Living with dementia, aged 65 and over (estimate): 4,900. Rising to 6,000 by 2035, up 22%
- People aged 85 and over: 10,000. Rising to 14,100 by 2035, up 40%
Powered by Orrery Intelligence. Market model built 22 October 2026 (ONS 2022 based population projections, CQC register), published care home prices, council planning records.
Arranging and Funding a Care Home Place in Birkenhead
Money is the question families tend to postpone, and then find themselves asking under pressure in a hospital corridor. Taking it in order helps a great deal. A care needs assessment comes first and establishes what support is required; a financial assessment follows and establishes who pays for it. Both can be requested before any home has been visited, and neither commits anyone to a decision they have not yet made.
The Care Needs Assessment
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council is the authority responsible for carrying out that assessment and for arranging funded support where a person is eligible. An assessor looks at daily routine, mobility, medicines, memory and risk, then records what level of support would meet those needs. The written outcome travels with the person and makes every later conversation with a home far more precise. A relative already providing care can request an assessment of their own needs alongside it, which is worth doing well before matters reach breaking point.
What the Weekly Fee Covers
A financial assessment takes account of savings, income and, for most permanent placements, the value of a property. Those above the threshold pay the fee the home quotes, while those below receive a contribution at a rate the council sets, and families sometimes add a top up to secure a particular room. Fees differ across the homes listed here and reflect room size, the level of care agreed and what is included beyond meals and accommodation. Ask what falls outside the weekly figure, since hairdressing, chiropody and outings are commonly billed separately, and ask what would happen if savings dropped below the threshold in a few years.
Choosing Between the Care Homes in Birkenhead
Making Use of the Ratings
Birkenhead Court, Salisbury House Residential Home and Summer Fields are among those rated Good, awarded on findings about safety, effectiveness, care, responsiveness and leadership. Wirral Christian Centre Trust Limited and Woodland Grove currently carry Requires Improvement ratings, and in each case the report names precisely what inspectors found, so the fair questions are what has changed since, who is managing the home now, and whether an action plan is being followed. Acrefield House and North Road Residential have not yet been rated, which means judging them on how precisely they answer questions rather than on a published verdict.
What to Look For in Person
Visit around a mealtime, when a home is busiest and least able to present a tidied version of itself. Listen to how staff speak to residents, look at whether people are occupied or simply waiting, and notice how long a call bell rings before someone answers. Ask how many permanent staff work a shift, how much agency cover is used across a typical week, and how long the manager has been in post. Ask as well what the home does when a resident is unsettled, because that answer reveals far more about leadership than any tour of the building ever could.
9 care homes in Birkenhead
- Woodland Grove · Birkenhead, Wirral · CQC Requires improvement
- 1, 2 and 3 St Georges Gardens · Birkenhead, Wirral · CQC Good
- Potensial - 23 Elm Road · Birkenhead, Wirral · CQC Good
- Christian Centre Trust · Birkenhead, Wirral · CQC Requires improvement
- Court · Birkenhead, Wirral · CQC Good
- Acrefield House · Birkenhead, Wirral
- Salisbury House Residential Home · Birkenhead, Wirral · CQC Good
- Summer Fields · Birkenhead, Wirral · CQC Good
- North Road Residential · Birkenhead, Wirral
What care costs in Wirral, per week
| Type of care | What the council pays | What self-funders are typically asked |
|---|---|---|
| Residential care North West figure, because too few Wirral homes publish this price. 20 homes. Median £1,409. | £793 | £1,249 to £1,514 |
| Nursing care England figure, because too few Wirral homes publish this price. 140 homes. Median £1,916. | £855 | £1,600 to £2,071 |
| Residential dementia care North West figure, because too few Wirral homes publish this price. 17 homes. Median £1,533. | Not published separately | £1,372 to £1,648 |
| Nursing dementia care England figure, because too few Wirral homes publish this price. 75 homes. Median £2,050. | Not published separately | £1,890 to £2,221 |
Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price. Powered by Orrery Intelligence.
Inspected most recently
- Salisbury House Residential Home, 29 September 2026, Good
- Woodland Grove, 26 May 2026, Requires improvement
- 1, 2 and 3 St Georges Gardens, 6 May 2026, Good
Longest since a report
- Summer Fields, 17 May 2018, Good
- Potensial Limited - 23 Elm Road, 20 December 2019, Good
- Wirral Christian Centre Trust Limited, 11 February 2022, Requires improvement
Frequently asked questions about care homes in Birkenhead
How many care homes are there in Birkenhead?
Birkenhead has 9 CQC registered care homes: 5 Good, 2 Requires improvement, 2 not yet rated. Counts come from the CQC register and are kept up to date as ratings change.
How much does a care home cost in Birkenhead?
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council pays an average of £793 a week for residential care. Self-funders are typically asked £1,249 to £1,514 a week. North West figure, because too few Wirral homes publish this price. 20 homes. Median £1,409. Published prices are often starting prices, and come from homes that publish fees, so treat them as a guide. Ask the home for its own price.
Which care homes in Birkenhead were inspected most recently?
Salisbury House Residential Home (29 September 2026), Woodland Grove (26 May 2026) and 1, 2 and 3 St Georges Gardens (6 May 2026) have the most recent CQC reports.