
As a family we are very pleased with the level of care she receivesJoy B(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The staff at The Firs have been incredibly kind and helped dad to adjustM W(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The management are very approachable and very welcoming. The home has a very homely feel.J M(Brother of Resident/Service User)

As a family we are very pleased with the level of care she receivesJoy B(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The staff at The Firs have been incredibly kind and helped dad to adjustM W(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The management are very approachable and very welcoming. The home has a very homely feel.J M(Brother of Resident/Service User)

Anchor’s The Firs in Felixstowe is a purpose-built care home, providing quality care and facilities within a comfortable and relaxing environment.
The home continues to welcome new residents and it is set in its own gardens for customers and their families to enjoy. As well as permanent and long term care, The Firs offers convalescence, trial and respite stays.
Anchor offers dementia care and provides on-going training for staff to ensure their approach always reflects best practice.
Care Provided by The Firs
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- For a maximum of 40 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
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Lift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Residents Kitchenette
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
Fees can vary depending on care needs and other factors. Colleagues at The Firs will be happy to discuss our weekly fees with you and what our fees include.
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact The Firs for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact The Firs 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
- Anchor
- Voluntary / Not for Profit Owned
Person in charge
- Colleen Farrow (Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Mixed (no single-gender units)
- Ages 65+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
- Last Refurbishment: 2006
Room Information
- Single Rooms (40)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (40)
Visiting
- Visitors are welcome at The Firs.
Parking
- Onsite parking is available, including disabled spaces.
The Firs Reviews (143)
The Firs has a Review Score of 9.9 (9.851) out of 10, based on 29 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Firs has 143 reviews.
Mum is still not happy but that's just the way she is. I know she is fine when we are not here so it must be us!
Thank you for taking the time to review The Firs your feedback is gratefully received. We are pleased that you are happy and feel that your mum is in good hands. If there is anything extra we can do to help with your mums transition to The Firs please do let me know.
I urgently needed a respite placement for dad and The Firs provided this at short notice. Dad and our family have been very pleased with his room and all aspects of his care and support. He has settled in so well that he wishes to stay permanently and we are happy for him to stay. It's lovely to see him happy and secure.
It is always a pleasure to visit. The staff are friendly and efficient. Mum is happy and healthy. The Christmas Party was great fun for all including the staff! The social media page is good for keeping up to date, especially for those who cannot visit often.
I came to the home, without anyone knowing, to see my sister. Everything was clean and tidy, my sister was comfortable in a chair, warm and in good spirits. Staff are caring and cheerful.
My aunt is being cared for very well. Thank you for looking after her.
I have nothing apart from praise of all the staff for their dedicated care that is given to my husband. I am always notified if there are any queries and concerns that require my input/decisions. My husband has settled in very well, smiling whenever I visit.
My mother moved into The Firs Care Home in August 2023. Living in Australia I visited her in October 2023 daily for 3 weeks. I could not have been more impressed. The facilities are good but the noticeable aspect is the lovely staff. Everyone I met was very engaging, pleasant and cheerful. In particular, the caring staff are tremendous constantly demonstrating a high level of personal care to the residents. I am delighted mother is now safe and equally happy in this excellent care home. Indeed I noticed an overall great improvement in her well-being.
Everything in the home is ok! And I'm happy to visits all the staff are nice.
I can only speak of the two months my husband has been in care; this is my first experience of a care home. The staff are excellent, always friendly, caring and welcoming to myself and visitors to my husband. I have attended two BBQs at The Firs. The staff went the extra mile for their residents and visitors. I would have hoped for more activities to stimulate the residents and a designated person to assist with this, if not every day, at least 2/3 times a week.
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review - it is much appreciated. We thank you for your feedback and are glad you find our staff to be excellent - we look forward to seeing you again at more events. In regards to activities, we appreciate your feedback. Some activities can be harder to...
We attended a lovely barbeque today. We had a lovely time, and so did our friend. The food was amazing, and luckily, so was the weather. All the residents looked so happy, and the staff were very attentive, helping with the needs of everyone.
Today I was really impressed with the staff efforts to make the barbecue a success. My wife had been prepared for the journey to the garden room when I arrived. I took her down to the garden, where we sat outside in comfort in the shade. Everything seemed so well organised. The food and drink were soon served. The music lady played her background music and some people had a dance. The food was delicious and plentiful and the staff were very helpful. An excellent event. Well done to the management and staff.
Very good but could have more activities.
Lovely and clean, lovely friendly staff and very professional.
I cannot praise the staff highly enough. My mother is difficult at times but has received far better care than I have ever given her. I have been informed regularly of her condition and medical needs.
From the moment Mum came in for respite care, and then full-time care, we, as a family, have found this to be a reassuring experience, in what has been a difficult time. Apart from the care given to Mum, which has been excellent, all carers have taken time to help her settle, everyone from the office staff to carers has been so pleasant to the family. They always make us feel so welcome, always giving us plenty of time and reassurance too. Always updating us on how Mum is, this has been invaluable and Mum is happy too. Couldn't have asked for more.
I think The Firs is a good place to be. The staff are generally very good. The only fault I can bring is against the lack of staff, everything boils down to the lack of staff. There is a lack of morale, which could be remedied by having a routine of serving clients first at breakfast. The number of times I sit in the lounge and have to wait an hour for a cup of tea before I get it and it happens most days, this is at breakfast time. I do feel that if this is dealt with, it would improve morale a lot. I am sorry about my writing, I do have Parkinsons.
Thank you for taking the time to review The Firs and we are pleased that you rate our care and support as excellent. We calculate our staffing levels using a dependency tool to ensure that we have the required number of colleagues to meet our residents' needs. We will discuss the matters you have raised directly with you to ensure all aspects of life at The Firs are to your satisfaction.
An excellent genuinely caring home from home. I am very grateful to The Firs for supporting my husband every day here, so professionally and with the best care I have seen at any residential home, in my lifetime. The home is immaculately clean at every visit. All the staff are always welcoming and friendly towards me and very helpful at every visit and take the time to listen to me if I have any queries.
The staff are all very kind. Very nice to be offered a cup of tea. Everything looks good!
This is only the fourth time at The Firs to visit my dad. On all visits, my experience of The Firs has been positive with all aspects of the visit.
Everything looks very clean and tidy. All of the staff were friendly and helpful.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 16 December 2022Good
- CaringGood
- EffectiveGood
- ResponsiveGood
- SafeGood
- Well-ledGood
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 (4) & Events (0)
- 03 Jun 2026
Resident Flora Green celebrated her 100th birthday at The Firs care home in Felixstowe on 17 May, surrounded by family. Flora, who has lived at the Anchor care home for...
- 19 Dec 2025
Residents and colleagues at Anchor care homes across Suffolk are embracing the festive spirit. From crafting Christmas decorations and singing carols, to decorating trees and baking festive treats, each activity...
- 22 May 2025
Anchor’s The Firs care home in Felixstowe is celebrating the opening of its new Namaste Room, a multi-sensory room to enhance the wellbeing of residents, including those living with dementia....
There are no upcoming events for The Firs.
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for The Firs.
Meet the Team (0)
There are no Team Members posted yet.
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