The Firs
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Residential homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds27
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia
- Last inspected2022-03-04
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Based on 8 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth72
- Compassion & dignity72
- Cleanliness70
- Activities & engagement65
- Food quality65
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership75
- Resident happiness70
What inspectors found
Inspected 2022-03-04 · Report published 2022-03-04 · Inspected 9 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for safety at The Firs. The published text does not include specific detail on staffing ratios, medicines management, falls recording, or infection control practices. The Good rating indicates inspectors did not identify significant safety concerns at the time of the visit in February 2022. No information is available on agency staff usage or night staffing levels from the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating after a previous Requires Improvement is genuinely meaningful: it tells you the home identified what was wrong and fixed it to inspectors' satisfaction. That said, Good Practice research consistently finds that safety is most vulnerable after dark, when staffing is thinnest. The published findings give you no information on how many staff are on at night for 27 residents, which is one of the most important questions you can ask. Night staffing ratios and agency reliance are where safety most often slips in smaller homes, and both deserve a direct conversation with the manager.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels and agency staff consistency are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in residential dementia care settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from last week, not a template. Count how many permanent staff were on overnight, and ask how many of those shifts were covered by agency workers."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for effectiveness at The Firs. The home is registered to provide dementia care, which carries an expectation of appropriate training and care planning. The published text does not include specific evidence on care plan quality, dementia training content, GP access arrangements, or food and nutrition practice. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the effectiveness of care delivery at the time of the visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in dementia care comes down to whether staff genuinely know your parent as an individual, not just as a diagnosis. Good Practice research identifies care plans as living documents that should be reviewed regularly and shaped by the person and their family, not written once and filed. The inspection does not tell us how often care plans at The Firs are reviewed or whether families are involved. Food quality is also a reliable signal of how well a home knows its residents: ask whether your parent's preferences, textures, and portion sizes are recorded and followed.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that dementia-specific training content, particularly around non-verbal communication and person-centred approaches, has a direct and measurable effect on the quality of daily care interactions.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised if necessary) and ask how often plans are formally updated. Specifically ask what dementia training all care staff have completed in the last 12 months and whether that includes communication skills."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for caring at The Firs. No specific observations of staff interactions, use of preferred names, or responses to distress are included in the published text. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied that the standard of caring behaviour met the threshold for Good at the time of the visit in February 2022.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. A Good rating for caring is encouraging, but the published findings give you nothing specific to hold onto. The most reliable way to assess warmth is to observe it yourself: watch how staff greet your parent on arrival, whether they crouch to eye level, whether they seem unhurried. Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication, tone, pace, and physical presence matter as much as words for people with dementia.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual well enough to interpret behaviour as communication. Homes where staff know residents' histories, preferences, and triggers consistently show better wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"During your visit, notice whether any staff member addresses your parent (or you) by name without being prompted. Ask the manager how preferred names and personal histories are recorded and shared with all staff, including new starters and night staff."}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for responsiveness at The Firs. The published text does not include specific information on the activity programme, one-to-one engagement, end-of-life care planning, or how individual preferences shape daily life. The home is registered for dementia care, which carries an expectation of tailored, individual approaches. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied at the time of the visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement matter more than many families expect: 21.4% of positive care home reviews specifically mention meaningful activities, and resident happiness is the third most cited theme at 27.1%. For someone with dementia, group activities are not always accessible or enjoyable. Good Practice research highlights the importance of one-to-one engagement and everyday household tasks as sources of continuity and calm. The inspection gives no detail on what a typical day looks like at The Firs, so this is an area to explore carefully on a visit.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that individualised activities, including Montessori-based approaches and familiar domestic tasks, produce measurably better wellbeing outcomes than group-only programmes, particularly for people in the moderate to advanced stages of dementia.","watch_out":"Ask to see last month's actual activity records, not the planned timetable. Ask specifically what happens for residents who cannot or do not want to join group sessions, and how staff engage them one to one on a quiet afternoon."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for well-led at The Firs. The home is run by South West Care Homes Limited, with a named Nominated Individual. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains suggests that leadership acted on previous concerns and made demonstrable changes. The published text does not include specific information on manager tenure, staff culture, or governance processes.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality matters enormously for consistency: Good Practice research finds that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory over time. The fact that this home improved from Requires Improvement to Good tells you something real about the people running it; it means someone identified problems and did the work to fix them. Our family review data shows that communication with families is cited positively in 11.5% of reviews, and that families value a manager they can actually speak to. Ask how long the current manager has been in post, because continuity of leadership is what sustains improvement.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that homes with stable, visible leadership and cultures where staff feel able to raise concerns consistently outperform homes where management is distant or frequently changing.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether they work regular hours on the floor. Ask what specific changes were made following the previous Requires Improvement rating and how those changes are now monitored."}
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The team here focuses on caring for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those living with dementia. They understand the importance of routine and familiar surroundings.. Gaps or open questions remain on Families have found the transition from respite to permanent care works well here, with residents settling into the secure environment. The stable staff team means people with dementia see the same carers regularly, which can help reduce anxiety. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
The Firs improved from Requires Improvement to Good across all five domains at its February 2022 inspection, which is a meaningful positive shift. However, the published inspection text contains very little specific detail, so scores reflect confirmed Good ratings rather than rich observational evidence.
Homes in South West typically score 68–82.Worth a visit
The Firs, a 27-bed residential home in Witheridge specialising in dementia care for adults over 65, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its February 2022 inspection. Importantly, this represents an improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating, meaning inspectors were satisfied that earlier concerns had been resolved. The home is registered and active, with a named provider and Nominated Individual in place. The main limitation of this report is that the published inspection text contains very little specific observational detail: no direct quotes from residents or relatives, no specific staffing figures, and no named examples of care practice. A Good rating is genuinely reassuring, but it cannot substitute for what you see and hear on a visit. When you go, pay close attention to whether staff interact with your parent by their preferred name, whether the pace feels unhurried, and whether the building itself is designed to help someone with dementia move around safely. Ask the manager directly about night staffing numbers, agency use, and how the home has changed since the previous Requires Improvement rating.
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In Their Own Words
How The Firs describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Small Devon care home where families find reassurance in stable staffing
The Firs – Your Trusted residential home
When you're looking for dementia care, consistency can make all the difference. The Firs in Witheridge offers a settled environment where the same faces greet residents each day. This smaller care home in rural Devon has built its approach around staff who stay, creating familiarity that matters for people living with dementia.
Who they care for
The team here focuses on caring for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those living with dementia. They understand the importance of routine and familiar surroundings.
Families have found the transition from respite to permanent care works well here, with residents settling into the secure environment. The stable staff team means people with dementia see the same carers regularly, which can help reduce anxiety.
“If you're considering The Firs, spending time there yourself will give you the clearest picture of whether it feels right for your family.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
