
My mother is in a caring, clean and friendly environment. That gives me peace of mindAlyson T(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The staff are so kind and have been supportive to the whole family. Mum has settled so well nowT G(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

Staff are always on the end of the phone for advice, updates and help. We appreciate all they do.T G(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

My mother is in a caring, clean and friendly environment. That gives me peace of mindAlyson T(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The staff are so kind and have been supportive to the whole family. Mum has settled so well nowT G(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

Staff are always on the end of the phone for advice, updates and help. We appreciate all they do.T G(Daughter of Resident/Service User)

The Orchards Nursing Home is a modern purpose-built care home located in the centre of Crewkerne.
The Orchards forms part of Amica Care Trust, a not-for-profit organisation which strives to provide exceptional care and support to people and their families.
The home has 45 bedrooms and provides round-the-clock nursing care. All rooms are ensuite and have telephone and television points. The spacious and airy bedrooms can be personalised with the residents’ own...
Care Provided by The Orchards
Primary Care Categories
- Older Person Care
- Dementia
- Mental Health Condition
- Physical Disability
- Visual / Hearing Impairment
Length of Stay
- Permanent Care
- Respite Care
Care Types Provided
- Residential Care
- Nursing Care
- Dementia Residential Care
- Dementia Nursing Care
- For a maximum of 45 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
- COPD/Pulmonary Disease
- Bariatric Care/Obesity
- Convalescent Care
- Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
- Day Care
Facilities
- Own Furniture if required
- Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
- Smoking not permitted
- Close to Local shops
- Near Public Transport
- Lift
- Wheelchair Access
- Gardens
- Residents Kitchenette
- Phone Point in own room
- Television point in own room
- Residents Internet Access
Funding & Fees
Weekly Charges per Person
Care packages are individually assessed and costed according to each person's needs.
The price(s) shown are provided by the care home. Contact The Orchards for full pricing details and T&Cs.
Contact The Orchards 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)
Support you may be entitled to
- If you chose a care home based in England, you may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care (FNC), which helps cover the cost of nursing. This is worth £267.68 per week and is usually paid directly to the care home.
Good to Know
Group / Owner
- Amica Care
- Voluntary / Not for Profit Owned
Person in charge
- Sekhar Thananki (Home Manager)
Local Authority / Social Services
Admission Information
- Mixed (no single-gender units)
- Ages 50+
Care Home Design/Build
- Purpose Built: Yes
- Last Refurbishment: 2022
Room Information
- Single Rooms (45)
Visiting
- Visitors are welcome at any time
Parking
- There are allocated parking spaces around the back of the home and disabled parking spaces outside the entrance to the home
The Orchards Reviews (78)
The Orchards has a Review Score of 9.7 (9.676) out of 10, based on 18 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time The Orchards has 78 reviews.
Very friendly place, support is there for the family and my nan when needed, my nan didn't want to go into a nursing home but she's always felt welcome and felt that it's her home which made it so much easier for her when she moved in. Carers do an amazing job no matter how hard it can be.
On the whole, my mum enjoys her stay at The Orchards. Her main concern is the lack of food choice, (she loves fish). Mum said all the staff are helpful and cheerful. As mum is self-funding, I think her cost is too high.
We use a dependency tool and cost of care calculator to ensure that the care costs reflect each residents needs. As a not for profit charity we reinvest any small surpluses back into providing the best care for our residents.
The staff, in general, were superb although working under a heavy load, some of the hygiene needed attention, as regards toilets and bathrooms, overall though some staff went the extra mile to make my wife happy. The medical side also needed attention, talking to and understanding the residents needs more and involving the GP's visits more often.
We have taken your comments on board and put measures in place to ensure that we have improved in these areas. We always welcome feedback as this helps us to improve our service.
Quality of care given comes from the top of any organisation and in this case, with the Manager at the helm, I find it is excellent.
My Mum received the best care and attention whilst living at the orchards. The staff were always cheerful and professional and always treated Mum with dignity and respect, they treated her as an individual and kept her spirits up. We were always informed of any health changes and visits from GP's etc. We moved mum to The Orchards from a previous home that she had been in and it was the best decision we could have made regarding her care. When Mum was reaching the end of her life, the care and compassion shown to her and us as a family was excellent, nothing was too much trouble, even when we had family members visiting at all hours, for this, we can not thank them enough.
The home is becoming a home from home gradually, the core staff are excellent and all cheerfull, constantly striving to give the residents the best possible care.
An extremely welcoming respite week where nothing was too much trouble. I hope that I will be going again at least twice more this year the next time in July.
All staff are cheerful, welcoming, respectful and understanding, always having time for Dad and our family. Care and nursing needs are well documented if there is a health issue, the nurse phones us. Time is taken to allow dad to make choices of his own regarding meals, activities and clothing. All curtains are immediately drawn to ensure privacy when administering care. The room and bathroom are a good size, well equipped, clean and well maintained although on the odd occasion clothing not belonging to dad has been put in the drawers. There are many communal lounges of varying sizes and all have tea and coffee making facilities, many rooms overlook the well used, accessible and secure garden. Our dad feels that he is in his own home with carers on hand and friends living close by, he enjoys the regular entertainment and very good meals in the restaurant. He enjoys the freedom of choosing where he spends his time and moving himself around and also enjoys the interaction with other residents and staff.
My Dad had been in this care home for 5 weeks. On arrival, it was noted that his radiator was not working. 5 weeks later it is still not working! With the cold weather fast approaching one would have thought this would be a priority. My Dad has cancer so he feels the cold. The manager did offer more blankets. But surely it can't take 5 weeks to fix a very simple problem! We do wonder what we are paying £1200 a week for? At times he does not get his breakfast until 11 am, he is left in his room when he could be encouraged to attend the functions in the main area.
I wrote the above review in October 2017. The above was fixed shortly after my complaint. Sadly my Dad passed away last week. I would like to thank all the staff at The Orchards for all the help and care they gave him in the last few weeks.
He is severely handicapped. During the first week's visit, I asked if he could have a soak in the bath. This was granted the next day. All the staff that my husband and I spoke to were very friendly, caring and professional. The activity schedule was very impressive.
It is a hard decision to decide to place your loved one in a care home. My mother has been at The Orchards for a few months, she has flourished, she is eating more and gaining very much needed weight. The care team are so very, very, kind and unlike the previous home, the manager is out and about on the floor. I have found the process of committing my mother to care so very distressing, but the manager has spent time with me, offering me words of comfort and I feel finally we have the right home for her. The Orchards is a truly beautiful place to be.
I had a comfortable fortnight with kindly staff. I've very limited sight so rely on my husband to read and write for me.
My family are very pleased with the care and treatment of my mother. Your nursing home is very clean and tidy, much better than other places we have seen.
It's a distressing period for all involved when it comes to picking a Care Home for a member of your family as it's usually the last important decision you can take for a relative. Reviews can often play quite an important part in this which is why I want to share our recent experience. It was a last minute thing with my Grandmother having to leave her home and go into full-time care as her condition was changing by the day. From the moment my Mother had the initial tour of The Orchards she was put at ease and felt there was no need to look any further. From the time my Grandmother arrived and throughout the 5 weeks she was there all the staff from the management to the Nurses and Carers provided an excellent level of care, nothing was too much trouble. As a family, it has helped us tremendously knowing that the right decision was made and my Grandmother was in the best possible place and had such caring and dignified end of life care. Thank you all very much.
We had a lovely meal and nothing was too much trouble. This gave my friend a very big lift, and they felt much better for it, made all the difference. Also a big thank you to the manager and the lady in the office - which is very well run.
My observations are now based upon the continued care, kindness and medical attention shown to my wife over two years and nine months tell me that The Orchards is very good. I have alternated my selections of the "options" concerned that to put excellent for them all might look like exaggeration. My wife is settled, comfortable and well nourished. I happily dine with her there frequently. The nursing is excellent and there is no hesitation when necessary to visit or call in the GP. I am always kept fully informed of any medical situation. The GP response in Crewkerne is excellent too. "Gold standard indeed."
1) One button the lift console was missing.
2) Lack of cups/beakers in visitors lounges for people to have tea of coffee.
Thank you for the time you have taken to provide us with feedback. I hope that you felt able to inform the person in charge on the day you visited your aunt of the concerns that you have mentioned, I will certainly follow this up. I would be very grateful if you would contact the Home Manager to...
Excellent care and attention. Nothing is too much trouble. Staff all well trained, caring and considerate in what can be a trying environment. Interesting Christmas activities.
Regulatory Rating
Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating
Date: 21 December 2022Good
- CaringGood
- EffectiveGood
- ResponsiveOutstanding
- 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 (3) & Events (0)
- 10 Feb 2026
The Orchards is currently offering four weeks of respite care for the price of three, for a limited time. Ideal for families needing short-term support, our respite care offers personalised,...
- 19 May 2025
We honoured the 80th Anniversary of VE Day with a day filled with music, reflection and togetherness. At The Orchards, our beautiful home in Crewkerne, enjoyed this historic occasion with...
- 10 Sep 2024
The Orchards Care Home in Crewkerne was filled with joy and celebration as residents and staff came together to honor a remarkable milestone—the 100th birthday of our beloved resident, Eva....
There are no upcoming events for The Orchards.
Awards / Recognitions (0)
There are currently no awards/recognitions posted yet for The Orchards.
Accreditations
There are no accreditations posted yet for The Orchards.
Meet the Team (4)

Ciprian is the Interim Home Manager at The Orchards.

Jon has worked in the care sector for over 15 years in a number of different disciplines, ranging from Dementia support, Mental Health and elderly care. Jon has achieved levels 2 and 3 in care and is currently working toward level 4, with a view to progressing to level 5.
Throughout his career, it has remained important to Jon to support those he cares for by improving and maintaining independence and the emotional well-being benefits that being independent can achieve. Jon strives to work alongside colleagues to encourage individuals to reach their potential.
It is important to Jon that a care home is welcoming with a sense of fun and joy - and a family atmosphere.
Jon enjoys all genres of music and toured the UK with his band. He likes to travel and seek new experiences that world cultures can offer.

Elly joined Amica in 2019, bringing with her a background in administration and customer service.
The main thing that Elly loves about working at The Orchards is the strong, hard-working and fun team, together with the honour of getting to know and support all the lovely residents and their families.
Outside of work, Elly enjoys spending time with her family and Labrador Lily. She also enjoys gardening and reading.

Kerry joined The Orchards as a Care Assistant in 2008 and holds a level 2 diploma in Health & Social Care.
She is now the Senior Activities Coordinator, which she loves, enjoying seeing the residents have fun and taking them out on exciting day trips.
Kerry enjoys her work at The Orchards and says that everyone feels part of one big team.
When she has some spare time, Kerry likes to spend time with her family and do jigsaw puzzles.
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