






Firstlings has been established since 1986 and has an excellent reputation within the area. Firstlings is located in Maldon and is very near to lots of local amenities. The home welcomes elderly people and elderly people with dementia.
Firstlings is beautifully presented throughout and offers residents a clean environment in which to stay. Carers pride themselves on maintaining high standards at Firstlings and always push themselves to do even better.
Has a...
Care Provided by Firstlings
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Physical Disability
- Visual / Hearing Impairment
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- For a maximum of 32 Service Users
Dementia Care TypesMild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
Mild Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "mild dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Memory problems such as misplacing items and not be able to recall recent events (however, in some forms of dementia a person's memory may be unchanged)
- Difficulties thinking through problems and planning, making decisions
- Language and communication issues such as finding it difficult to recall the appropriate word in a conversation or following a conversation
- Poor orientation, getting lost in areas previously familiar to them
- Difficulty judging distances (more falls than usual)
- Changes in their normal mood including anxiety and depression
- In certain types of dementia, personality and behaviour changes may be present alongside or instead of issues with memory or concentration.
Moderate Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "moderate dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Worsened memory problems. Not always recognising own family members and friends. Repeating the same questions over and over again
- Worsened language and communication issues, forgetting what they are saying mid-sentence. Not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- More frequent confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Advanced Dementia
Someone living with our definition of "severe dementia" might experience some or all of the following:
- Severe memory problems. Not recognising family members and friends. Not being able to recall their own name
- Severe language and communication issues, not being able to understand what someone else is saying
- Severe confusion, e.g. about the time of day or where they are, including their own home
- Apathy, depression and anxiety
- Believing things that aren't true (paranoia)
- Frequent hallucinations
- Lack of emotional control, quick to anger, fearfulness, sadness
- Loss of inhibition
- Difficulties sleeping or waking during the night and behaving as though it is daytime - loss of circadian rhythm.
Verbally or physically aggressive behaviour
If your loved one displays this type of behaviour you may need a care home that has specially trained staff. Verbal/physical aggression is often defined:
- Consistent shouting and screaming
- Verbal abuse
- Physical abuse
How we define Dementia Care Types
- Mild Dementia
- Moderate Dementia
- Advanced/Complex Dementia
Other Care Provided
- Parkinson's Disease
- Stroke
- Palliative / End of Life Care
- Day Care
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Smoking not permitted
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Lift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact Firstlings for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact Firstlings to confirm what's included and get a personalised quote:
Funding Types Accepted
- Self-Funding (Private)
- Local Authority with Top-up
- Local Authority
- NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
Good to Know
Group / Owner
- Sohal Healthcare Ltd
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Tina Bentley (Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Ages 65+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: No
- Last Refurbishment: 2018
Room Information
- Single Rooms (32)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (26)
Firstlings Reviews (76)
Firstlings has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.672) out of 10, based on 9 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Firstlings has 76 reviews.
I have always found Firstlings an excellent care home - the staff, facilities and cleanliness are of a very high standard.
Kind, considerate, caring staff and management who treat my brother with dignity and kindness. The cleanliness is excellent and the surroundings are homely.
Very kind staff, nice facilities, always helpful.
From the moment they showed him around, he has loved it. It could have been so much worse. The food, his well being always primary, the activities are great, the staff make the experience excellent.
I would recommend to anyone.
In fact, two more residents coming...
Thank you all.
The home is comfortable and clean. The staff are caring and kind. They treat residents with respect and dignity. The care is tailored to individuals needs.
Lovely home. Everyone seems to be happy and well looked after. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We are pleased that my brother-in-law is happy and content.
Amazing, welcoming environment with brilliant, knowledgeable staff that are supportive, friendly and helpful. My father-in-law is so happy and loves living here. Great community feel, superb activities and involvement. Just excellent!
When visiting Firstlings we have found on all occasions the staff to be most helpful and friendly. The residents seem very comfortable with their care. The building itself is clearly clean and well maintained.
It is so welcoming and she is very happy.
It feels like home and the staff are always helpful and attentive.
It is a lovely cheerful place and I have recommended the home to many people.
As my father has become frailer over the three years since he arrived he was given a ground floor room in the last couple of weeks. It has been newly decorated with his input with his own pictures and 1940's theme carefully chosen to suit his memory.
Thank you very much.
Putting Mum into a care home was a hugely tough decision - very emotional.
Three years later she has 'passed on'.
Throughout I saw good and often great care and excellent attitudes.
I saw professional courtesy and patience and professionalism, best of all in a busy life where things have to be done that this was more than a job, that for many this was life service, real dedication and personal care of the high order.
Several said and meant 'it is a pleasure' or at the end 'it is an honour' to help her through.
So expect strong leadership, a good bunch of people, a lot of care, supported by solid training, kindness and warmth.
Lastly, I was so impressed by their handling of Mum's last days (and their genuine warmth to us). They applied grace and dignity as I would wish and hope and did her and themselves proud.
Overall my father has been treated very well. Unfortunately, he has had many falls while in the care home, however, I know his condition has contributed heavily to this and perhaps the only way to have prevented this would have been 1 to 1 supervision 24/7, which obviously couldn't happen, it is something to consider for future residents though.
As I live in Spain I have peace of mind leaving her here. The staff are extremely good and kind to all here.
My father has been a resident for three years, he is a double amputee and needs a lot of assistance due to his lack of mobility and age (83). He is settled and happy in his environment and the staff are always pleasant, helpful and caring. We have got to know several staff and think it is great that we can take our small dog into the home, she creates a lot of attention amongst residents. The staff have responded quickly when my father has been unwell due to his diabetes and accompanied him to the hospital- very reassuring as I live 4 hours away.
My partner has been here at the home for 19 months. The care is of a very high standard and I am very pleased that my partner who is suffering from Parkinsons and dementia is here. He is currently very poorly and the home has offered to give him end of life care rather than to be sent to the hospital or a nursing home which I know would cause him far more distress. I am extremely grateful for this.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 02 October 2019Outstanding
- CaringOutstanding
- EffectiveGood
- ResponsiveOutstanding
- SafeGood
- Well-ledOutstanding
Inspection ratings
We rate most services according to how safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led they are, using four levels:
- Outstanding - The service is performing exceptionally well.
- Good - The service is performing well and meeting our expectations.
- Requires Improvement - The service isn't performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve.
- Inadequate - The service is performing badly and we've taken action against the person or organisation that runs it.
- Not rated - we have not yet rated this area of the service, this is normally because the assessments we have carried out have been focused on other key questions.
Bed Vacancies
Please contact us for latest vacancies.
News (0) & Events (0)
There are no news items for Firstlings.
There are no upcoming events for Firstlings.
Awards / Recognitions (10)
- 30 Jan 2026Recipient: Firstlings
- 31 Jan 2025Recipient: Firstlings
- 28 Feb 2019Recipient: Firstlings
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for Firstlings.
Meet the Team (2)

My name is Tina, I have worked at Firstlings since 1999, progressing from the role of Junior Carer to Registered Manager in 2009. I'm extremely passionate and caring and have adapted to the many changes that have been introduced within the care sector. My ethos is to be the voice for my residents whilst accommodating their individual needs.
We have been awarded several accolades over the years and continue to receive some great testimonials from the families of our residents, not least of which was to be accredited with an "Outstanding" rating by the CQC, which is indeed a testament to the sheer dedication of every valued member of my team.
Of worthy mention, is the fact that I also worked alongside the parliamentary review for care homes, to give some real insight into our world and the many challenges that we continue to face, both operationally and commercially, in our assertive effort to deliver the very best level of care within our community.

I have worked at Firstlings since I was 20 years old. I joined as a Care Assistant, then moved on to Senior, where I worked night shifts for 15 years before taking up the role of Deputy Manager in 2009.
Firstlings is more than your place of work, it is also like being at home.
I enjoy all aspects of my job and find my role very rewarding, one aspect being the end of life care. To support our residents and their families whilst ensuring everything is in place such as Farleigh Hospice, anticipatory medication and to ensure their passing is pain-free and dignified. I feel the last part of the care you can finally give is a great honour.
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