Fessey House
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Residential homes, Homecare agencies
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds68
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Dementia, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities, Sensory impairment
- Last inspected2019-05-08
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families visiting Fessey House mention how welcoming and helpful the staff are when they arrive. The care team seems to understand that visits are important for everyone, making sure relatives feel at ease.
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth85
- Compassion & dignity92
- Cleanliness65
- Activities & engagement70
- Food quality60
- Healthcare70
- Management & leadership75
- Resident happiness80
What inspectors found
Inspected 2019-05-08
Is this home safe?
Is the care effective?
Fessey House was rated Good for effective at the March 2019 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and whether staff have the knowledge to support people with dementia and other complex needs. The home lists dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment as specialisms, which means inspectors would have looked for evidence of appropriate training and care planning across these groups. The published summary does not describe the specific content of dementia training or how frequently care plans are reviewed.Is this home caring?
Fessey House was rated Outstanding for caring at the March 2019 inspection, the highest rating available and one awarded to fewer than one in ten care homes. This rating reflects inspector findings of strong, consistent evidence of warmth, dignity, respect, and person-centred interactions across the home. Inspectors would have observed staff in action, spoken privately with residents and family members, and reviewed records before awarding this grade. Outstanding for caring is specifically about how staff behave with people day to day, not just whether policies are in place.Is the home responsive?
Fessey House was rated Good for responsive at the March 2019 inspection. This domain covers whether the home meets individual needs, offers meaningful activities, responds to complaints, and supports people at the end of their lives. The home's range of specialisms suggests it aims to support a varied group of residents with different needs. The published inspection summary does not describe specific activities, one-to-one engagement programmes, or end-of-life planning arrangements.Is the home well-led?
Fessey House was rated Good for well-led at the March 2019 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. The home is run by Swindon Borough Council as an in-house provider and has a named registered manager, Mrs Sharron Black. Two nominated individuals, Mrs Kelly Keane and Mrs Caroline Little, are also on record. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good for leadership is significant: it indicates that governance problems identified at an earlier inspection were addressed under the current management structure.
Source: CQC inspection report →
What the evidence base says
The team at Fessey House supports residents with various needs including sensory impairments, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They care for people over 65 who need different levels of support. For residents living with dementia, the home provides specialist care tailored to individual needs. The bright, colourful environment can help with orientation and wellbeing. 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
Fessey House scores well above average primarily because of its Outstanding rating for caring, which reflects strong specific evidence of warmth, dignity, and respect observed by inspectors. Scores in cleanliness, food, and activities are more modest because the inspection findings do not provide enough specific detail to rate them higher with confidence.
Homes in South West typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families visiting Fessey House mention how welcoming and helpful the staff are when they arrive. The care team seems to understand that visits are important for everyone, making sure relatives feel at ease.
What inspectors have recorded
How it sits against good practice
If you'd like to see how Fessey House might suit your loved one's needs, arranging a visit could help you get a better feel for the place.
Worth a visit
Fessey House in Swindon was rated Good overall at its last inspection in March 2019, with one domain, caring, rated Outstanding. This is a meaningful distinction: Outstanding for caring is awarded to fewer than one in ten care homes inspected, and it indicates that inspectors found consistent, specific evidence of staff treating residents with warmth, dignity, and genuine respect. The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement overall, and the improvement to Good across all five domains suggests that leadership identified and fixed real problems rather than simply managing paperwork. The main uncertainty here is age. The inspection took place in March 2019, and a monitoring review in July 2023 found no reason to change the rating, but no full re-inspection has been published. More than six years have passed since inspectors walked the corridors and spoke to residents and families. Staff teams change, managers move on, and the quality of care can shift in that time. On your visit, ask to speak with the current registered manager, Mrs Sharron Black, and find out how long she and the senior care staff have been in post. Ask to see the activity programme for the past month and request the night staffing rota so you can judge consistency for yourself.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Fessey House measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Fessey House describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Specialist support for sensory and memory care in Swindon
Fessey House – Expert Care in Swindon
When you're looking for the right care home, those first impressions matter. Fessey House in Swindon welcomes families into a bright, clean environment where staff understand the importance of making relatives feel comfortable during visits. The home specialises in supporting people with sensory impairments and dementia, alongside other complex needs.
Who they care for
The team at Fessey House supports residents with various needs including sensory impairments, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They care for people over 65 who need different levels of support.
For residents living with dementia, the home provides specialist care tailored to individual needs. The bright, colourful environment can help with orientation and wellbeing.
“If you'd like to see how Fessey House might suit your loved one's needs, arranging a visit could help you get a better feel for the place.”
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
Fessey House scores well above average primarily because of its Outstanding rating for caring, which reflects strong specific evidence of warmth, dignity, and respect observed by inspectors. Scores in cleanliness, food, and activities are more modest because the inspection findings do not provide enough specific detail to rate them higher with confidence.
Homes in South West typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families visiting Fessey House mention how welcoming and helpful the staff are when they arrive. The care team seems to understand that visits are important for everyone, making sure relatives feel at ease.
What inspectors have recorded
How it sits against good practice
If you'd like to see how Fessey House might suit your loved one's needs, arranging a visit could help you get a better feel for the place.
Worth a visit
Fessey House in Swindon was rated Good overall at its last inspection in March 2019, with one domain, caring, rated Outstanding. This is a meaningful distinction: Outstanding for caring is awarded to fewer than one in ten care homes inspected, and it indicates that inspectors found consistent, specific evidence of staff treating residents with warmth, dignity, and genuine respect. The home had previously been rated Requires Improvement overall, and the improvement to Good across all five domains suggests that leadership identified and fixed real problems rather than simply managing paperwork. The main uncertainty here is age. The inspection took place in March 2019, and a monitoring review in July 2023 found no reason to change the rating, but no full re-inspection has been published. More than six years have passed since inspectors walked the corridors and spoke to residents and families. Staff teams change, managers move on, and the quality of care can shift in that time. On your visit, ask to speak with the current registered manager, Mrs Sharron Black, and find out how long she and the senior care staff have been in post. Ask to see the activity programme for the past month and request the night staffing rota so you can judge consistency for yourself.
The three questions to ask when you visitSave this home. Compare it against your shortlist.
Let our analysis show you how Fessey House measures up against the other homes you’re considering. Free account.
In Their Own Words
How Fessey House describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Specialist support for sensory and memory care in Swindon
Fessey House – Expert Care in Swindon
When you're looking for the right care home, those first impressions matter. Fessey House in Swindon welcomes families into a bright, clean environment where staff understand the importance of making relatives feel comfortable during visits. The home specialises in supporting people with sensory impairments and dementia, alongside other complex needs.
Who they care for
The team at Fessey House supports residents with various needs including sensory impairments, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. They care for people over 65 who need different levels of support.
For residents living with dementia, the home provides specialist care tailored to individual needs. The bright, colourful environment can help with orientation and wellbeing.
The home & environment
The building itself creates a pleasant atmosphere with its bright, colourful spaces. People notice how clean and well-maintained everything is throughout the home.
“If you'd like to see how Fessey House might suit your loved one's needs, arranging a visit could help you get a better feel for the place.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
