






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.
The staff are very helpful. I sometimes have difficulty communicating with some staff but they are all friendly. The management are very helpful, if I have a problem they do all they can to help me.
On my very first entry to The Firs to visit a client, I had this moment of reflection of many things all wrapped into care. I was so happy inside, I cannot express the warmness I encountered. Empathy. I would like to think I have many hours to visit the home to see more. We need these kinds of homes so people can have 'home from home' for the rest of life, no worries. Care.
I have peace of mind that he is well cared for, that any medical issues are recognised and acted on and that he is in a safe environment. I have recommended The Firs to others very friendly and caring environment.
Mum has been very well cared for at The Firs. The staff are very attentive and she is very happy at The Firs.
The staff at the Firs are all wonderful. I have never had any concerns about my Dad's welfare in the 9 months that he has been living there. They are caring, kind, calm and conscientious. The atmosphere is always a good one and I could not wish for a better place for my Dad to be living. The recent refurbishment was required and now The Firs is looking smart and welcoming. Every time I visit, twice a week, I feel confident that my Dad is being cared for as well as he possibly could. I always leave content, knowing that each and every one of the staff do everything they can to make life for my Dad as comfortable and as enriched as possible. Thank you.
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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