Fernihurst Nursing Home – Sanctuary Care
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds50
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Dementia, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2021-07-01
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families talk about staff who stay attentive through the years, not just the early days. Whether someone's been there for months or much longer, people notice how the care remains consistent and thoughtful.
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth72
- Compassion & dignity72
- Cleanliness72
- Activities & engagement60
- Food quality60
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership74
- Resident happiness70
What inspectors found
Inspected 2021-07-01
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
Fernihurst was rated Good for Effective at the May 2021 inspection. The home provides nursing care for a broad mix of needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which requires staff to hold a wide range of competencies. The published report does not provide specific detail about care plan quality, GP access, dementia training content, or how food and nutritional needs are managed. As a nursing home, the clinical oversight structure should be more robust than in a residential-only setting, but the inspection text does not confirm this with specific findings.Is this home caring?
Fernihurst was rated Good for Caring at the May 2021 inspection. This is a positive finding and an improvement from the previous Requires Improvement rating. The published report does not contain specific inspector observations of staff interactions, resident testimony about how they feel treated, or examples of dignity and privacy being upheld in practice. Good ratings in this domain typically require inspectors to observe and record specific examples of kind, respectful care, so the absence of detail in the published text is a limitation of what is available publicly rather than a concern about the rating itself.Is the home responsive?
Fernihurst was rated Good for Responsive at the May 2021 inspection, again an improvement from Requires Improvement. This domain covers whether the home tailors care to individuals, provides meaningful activities, and handles complaints well. The published report does not include specific detail about the activity programme, how the home supports residents with advanced dementia to remain engaged, or how it handles end-of-life care planning. The home cares for a diverse group including people with dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment, which makes responsiveness to individual need particularly important.Is the home well-led?
Fernihurst was rated Good for Well-led at the May 2021 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. This improvement across all five domains simultaneously suggests the leadership made meaningful changes between inspections. Mrs Louise Palmer is the nominated individual registered with the regulator. The home is operated by Sanctuary Care Limited, which brings a national governance framework. The published report does not detail the registered manager's tenure, the culture observed during the inspection, or how staff feel about speaking up with concerns.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
The home supports people with various needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents. For those living with dementia, the home provides specialized support as part of their wider care approach. Staff work with the particular challenges dementia brings while maintaining each person's dignity and comfort. All 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
Fernihurst Nursing Home scores 74 out of 100, reflecting a genuine improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating to a Good across all five inspection domains. The score is held back by limited published detail on food, activities, and individual care specifics, which means families will need to ask targeted questions on a visit.
Homes in South West typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families talk about staff who stay attentive through the years, not just the early days. Whether someone's been there for months or much longer, people notice how the care remains consistent and thoughtful.
What inspectors have recorded
The management team works to help families through the placement process, with people mentioning how responsive they've been when needed. While one family did experience difficulties getting information they'd requested, most describe a team that stays connected with what's happening day to day.
How it sits against good practice
Getting a feel for how somewhere really works takes more than reading about it — seeing the care in action makes all the difference.
Worth a visit
Fernihurst Nursing Home, at 19 Douglas Avenue in Exmouth, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its most recent inspection on 6 May 2021. Crucially, this represented an improvement from its previous rating of Requires Improvement, which is an encouraging trajectory. The home is a 50-bed nursing home run by Sanctuary Care Limited, with a nominated individual registered with the regulator, and it cares for a wide range of needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment. The main limitation of this report is that the published inspection text is very brief and contains almost no specific detail about day-to-day care, staffing, activities, food, or family experience. A Good rating is meaningful, especially following an improvement, but it tells you relatively little on its own about what life is actually like for your parent inside this home. Before making a decision, visit in person and use the checklist questions in this report, particularly around night staffing ratios, agency staff use, dementia-specific training, and what activities are available for residents who cannot join group sessions.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Fernihurst Nursing Home – Sanctuary Care measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Fernihurst Nursing Home – Sanctuary Care describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where consistent care meets families through life's toughest moments
Fernihurst Nursing Home – Expert Care in Exmouth
When you're looking for somewhere that can support your loved one through changing needs, finding the right place matters. Fernihurst Nursing Home in Exmouth offers care for people at different life stages, from younger adults with physical disabilities to those needing dementia support. The home has built its approach around responding to what families and residents need most.
Who they care for
The home supports people with various needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents.
For those living with dementia, the home provides specialized support as part of their wider care approach. Staff work with the particular challenges dementia brings while maintaining each person's dignity and comfort.
“Getting a feel for how somewhere really works takes more than reading about it — seeing the care in action makes all the difference.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
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
Fernihurst Nursing Home scores 74 out of 100, reflecting a genuine improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating to a Good across all five inspection domains. The score is held back by limited published detail on food, activities, and individual care specifics, which means families will need to ask targeted questions on a visit.
Homes in South West typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families talk about staff who stay attentive through the years, not just the early days. Whether someone's been there for months or much longer, people notice how the care remains consistent and thoughtful.
What inspectors have recorded
The management team works to help families through the placement process, with people mentioning how responsive they've been when needed. While one family did experience difficulties getting information they'd requested, most describe a team that stays connected with what's happening day to day.
How it sits against good practice
Getting a feel for how somewhere really works takes more than reading about it — seeing the care in action makes all the difference.
Worth a visit
Fernihurst Nursing Home, at 19 Douglas Avenue in Exmouth, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its most recent inspection on 6 May 2021. Crucially, this represented an improvement from its previous rating of Requires Improvement, which is an encouraging trajectory. The home is a 50-bed nursing home run by Sanctuary Care Limited, with a nominated individual registered with the regulator, and it cares for a wide range of needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment. The main limitation of this report is that the published inspection text is very brief and contains almost no specific detail about day-to-day care, staffing, activities, food, or family experience. A Good rating is meaningful, especially following an improvement, but it tells you relatively little on its own about what life is actually like for your parent inside this home. Before making a decision, visit in person and use the checklist questions in this report, particularly around night staffing ratios, agency staff use, dementia-specific training, and what activities are available for residents who cannot join group sessions.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Fernihurst Nursing Home – Sanctuary Care measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Fernihurst Nursing Home – Sanctuary Care describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where consistent care meets families through life's toughest moments
Fernihurst Nursing Home – Expert Care in Exmouth
When you're looking for somewhere that can support your loved one through changing needs, finding the right place matters. Fernihurst Nursing Home in Exmouth offers care for people at different life stages, from younger adults with physical disabilities to those needing dementia support. The home has built its approach around responding to what families and residents need most.
Who they care for
The home supports people with various needs including dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. They care for both younger adults under 65 and older residents.
For those living with dementia, the home provides specialized support as part of their wider care approach. Staff work with the particular challenges dementia brings while maintaining each person's dignity and comfort.
Management & ethos
The management team works to help families through the placement process, with people mentioning how responsive they've been when needed. While one family did experience difficulties getting information they'd requested, most describe a team that stays connected with what's happening day to day.
“Getting a feel for how somewhere really works takes more than reading about it — seeing the care in action makes all the difference.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
