






The Firs is a residential care home set in the heart of the small village of Witheridge in Mid Devon close to Tiverton, South Molton and Braunton. The Firs is housed in an elegant period style building which used to be the doctors manor house back in the early 1900s.
The home is nestled within large acres of garden allowing many scenic seating areas and that feeling of being outdoors close...
Care Provided by The Firs
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Learning Disability / Autism
- Physical Disability
- Visual / Hearing Impairment
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- For a maximum of 27 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
Other Care Provided
- Parkinson's Disease
- Stroke
- Palliative / End of Life Care
- COPD/Pulmonary Disease
- Bariatric Care/Obesity
- Convalescent Care
- Day Care
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Stairlift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Residents Kitchenette
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
- Residents Internet Access
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
Prices depend on assessment of care needs.
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
- South West Care Homes Ltd
- Private Owned
Person in charge
- Harriet Hawkins (Registered Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Mixed (no single-gender units)
- Ages 60+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: No
- Last Refurbishment: 2000
- Number of floors: 2
Room Information
- Single Rooms (27)
- Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (2)
Visiting
- Visitors welcome anytime.
Parking
- The Firs has a car park for visitors
The Firs Reviews (45)
The Firs has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.768) out of 10, based on 18 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Firs has 45 reviews.
Staff are caring and patient, especially with the more difficult patients. An advantage is the location, which is nearby.
Thank you for your review; we appreciate your feedback, and it's great having your wife stay with us and we are glad you feel welcome and part of the Firs Family.
We have been helping a close neighbour who we visit fairly frequently. he appears to have a very pleasant room and the staff have always been pleasant and helpful.
Thanks so much for your review. It has been great to get to know you all and he very much appreciates that you keep in close contact.
My mother has been at The Firs now for 6 months and I just wanted to post a quick comment as to how well she is being cared for. She has been made to feel extremely comfortable with the environment from the outset and recently celebrated her 90th birthday there where the staff made a cake, gave her presents and provided a nice area in the conservatory where the family could celebrate with her. All much appreciated.
Thanks Peter, we are delighted to have Mum with us and she loved her Birthday celebrations and it was great to have all the family here for it. Many thanks for your feedback we really appreciate it.
All your staff are amazing and I would recommend anyone to use you.
Thank you to the managers and all your staff for all your support at this hard time
You made Gran's last week easier for us as a family.
Thanks so much for your lovely review, it has been a pleasure to look after Gran and get to know you all. We will miss seeing you all.
The day she moved in my daughter and I were there to meet her when she arrived from the hospital and found it to be a real family home atmosphere.
The manager was right his staff are great all introducing themselves and caring for my Mother superbly. Thank you all!
Thanks for your wonderful review, we are delighted at how well Mum has settled and we are enjoying getting to know the family also.
When we moved my client in, the staff were all amazing, not just to her but also to me - offering reassurance and kindness - they really couldn't have been more helpful. This continued over the next few days with emails and text messages giving me updates on how she was settling in, which was so thoughtful and reassuring. We are now two weeks later and she has settled down nicely and made some lovely friends. The food is varied, nutritious and always smells delicious. The management and staff are friendly, attentive and always cheerful. Considering residential care for someone you love is such a difficult thing to do but ultimately you just want to keep your loved one safe and well cared for and the staff at The Firs certainly achieve this.
I am thrilled you are pleased with the care we are providing here at The Firs, the team do a great job and I'm sure they will appreciate this lovely feedback, it makes it all worthwhile.
I am very impressed with the level of service I have received from The Firs and I find their particular strengths relate to the quality, friendship and willingness of the staff. The food is excellent. I have a beautiful room and the accommodation is first class. If in the future I require permanent care then The Firs would be my first choice.
Bless you, we enjoy having you stay and are pleased you find it comfortable.
My mother has just spent 2 wonderful months in respite at The Firs. She is now going to continue full-time care with the manager and his team taking good care of her and meeting all her personal needs. The food and ambience of the home is excellent. Would highly recommend.
Many thanks for the great review Alison, we are delighted Mum is staying with us and pleased she is happy in her newly renovated room. Regards, Manager.
Dad has only been at The Firs for a few weeks but he has settled in well and both him and us, as a family, have been made very welcome. The staff are kind and considerate and always have a smile. Dad is enjoying the food and the staff have already realised he has a good appetite and are offering him extra helpings if he wants them.
Thanks so much for you lovely review, we are delighted dad has settled into The Firs, he is such a gentleman and a pleasure to care for. We enjoy yours and mums visits also. Thanks again Pip
There are regular activities and opportunities to keep Mum stimulated and we like being kept updated on her day.
Thank you.
Thanks so much for a lovely review, we really appreciate your feedback. Mum is settling in very well and becoming part of the 'Firs family'.
My brother is very well looked after at The Firs, the staff are friendly and dedicated to caring for all the residents. They are very professional in assisting him with his mobility so that he can move around the building. The additional activities seem to be helping him.
Many thanks for your review, we really appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback. Your brother is a pleasure to care for and is a huge part of the family here at The Firs.
Everyone at The Firs moved mountains to assess and welcome my father at the busiest time over Christmas. Communication with us was superb, and his care was gentle and caring, as well as thoroughly professional at all times. My mother has commented on how well cared for he looks, for example, having had his first shave in well over a year, and clean clothes and his beloved baseball cap with him all the time. We cannot praise the attention to detail, caring atmosphere and communication highly enough. We only wish he was well and stable enough to stay longer.
Thanks so much for such a lovely review; the team are working so hard to make The Firs a home-from-home experience. It has been our pleasure to have Dad stay with us, we will miss him. Do keep in touch. All the best.
The Firs is a lovely premises, with a secure garden area and a very friendly but also professional team.
It's very important to me that Mum is able to find a quality of life despite having Alzheimer's. Not yet planned, but if I can't look after Mum at any point and she has to go into care, The Firs would be our first choice.
Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback, it has been a pleasure to look after Mum during her stay.
The Firs were extremely accommodating and so helpful with admitting my father-in-law at very short notice. Upon arrival, we were made very welcome and the atmosphere of the place is lovely. The care and affection shown towards my father-in-law was amazing. Thank you.
Many thanks for your lovely review. He is a delight to care for and we enjoy having him stay when he comes for respite.
The care and respect that all the staff and The Firs showed my aunt is faultless. They made her final weeks comfortable and she could not have been in lovelier hands. It is a very nice care home with wonderful staff who care deeply about the dignity of all the residents. Thank you from me, my family and her close friends.
Thank you for such a lovely review, it was our pleasure to care for aunt in her last few weeks.
My wife has been in The Firs for just over a year now. At first, it took some getting used to the idea of her being away from me. But now things have settled down I am quite at ease with the situation and I feel part of the whole situation. I feel like it is one big family whereas I am part of that family.
Thanks for your lovely comment, you are also considered as part of the 'Firs family' Best wishes Pip.
My dad is a resident of The Firs and has been since 2020. I submitted a review in 2020 but thought I should submit an up-to-date one. Despite challenging times (covid) and new managers I still hold the same opinion of this excellent care home. My dad is surrounded with love and care from the whole team and I remain hugely grateful to every member of staff who do all they can to provide my dad with a safe, caring and loving home and me with a warm and friendly welcome.
I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending The Firs, it really is a very special place.
Dad is a pleasure to look after and your support of The Firs is appreciated hugely.
My father required dialysis three times a week at age ninety-one. On the 20th of September, the decision was taken jointly with the medical team to cease dialysis treatment with the prognosis that 'end of life' care would be required. Working with the medical team it was agreed that my father should be discharged from hospital as soon as possible and whilst all effort was made for home care this was not possible. The Firs team, led by his carers, ensured that they liaised with Royal Exeter and District Hospital to secure a bed on Friday 22nd. This was a traumatic period for both of my parents and thanks to the wonderful care provided at short notice, which was at times in excess of general care, my parents were able to spend the next three days together before his passing. Mum was provided with a bed in the same room, and I know that the time my parents were able to spend together meant so much, especially after sixty-nine years of marriage.
Thanks so much for your kind words, I am so pleased that we were able to support dad and the family through his final few days. He was a true gentleman.
My mother was taken into hospital last week. I was walking out of the cubicle when a nurse asked in which care home my mother was a resident. I said The Firs and the nurse said to me "I am not surprised it's The Firs as you can see that your mother is so well cared for, her skin is soft and she is clean and well kept. Personally, I cannot agree more, my mother is very happy at "her home" as she calls it. I do not worry about my mother, the home keeps me updated on every issue. Cannot recommend more. Thank you
The review was very good. Good discussion about all general things. The family are very grateful for all the help.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 04 March 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 (0) & Events (0)
There are no news items for The Firs.
There are no upcoming events for The Firs.
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for The Firs.
Meet the Team (4)

Hello, I'm Harriet, the Registered Manager at The Firs.

Lorelei is the Deputy Manager at the Firs.

Hello, I'm Jodi, a Team Leader at The Firs.

Sue is part of the housekeeping team, which keeps The Firs looking great.
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