Dunollie Residential and Nursing Home

What families say

Based on 6 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement60
• Food quality58
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness68

What inspectors found

Inspected 2021-12-11 · Report published 2021-12-11 · Inspected 6 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Safety at the November 2021 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement in this area. This indicates that inspectors found the home had addressed earlier concerns. The published summary does not set out specific findings on staffing numbers, medicines management, infection control practices, or falls prevention. The home cares for people with dementia and other complex needs across 58 beds, which makes staffing levels and night cover particularly important questions.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Safety is the foundation of everything else, and the improvement from Requires Improvement to Good is genuinely encouraging. However, our Good Practice evidence base flags that safety problems in care homes most often surface on night shifts and when agency staff cover regular roles. The published text does not confirm night staffing numbers or agency use at Dunollie. Cleanliness accounts for 24.3% of positive signals in our family review data, meaning families notice and care about hygiene more than many other factors. You will need to ask specific questions and observe the building on a visit to satisfy yourself on these points.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that learning from incidents, including falls, medication errors, and near misses, is one of the strongest predictors of sustained safety improvement. The fact that Dunollie improved from Requires Improvement to Good suggests this kind of learning took place, though the published text does not describe the specific changes made.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from the previous week, not the template. Count how many permanent staff names appear on the night shifts, and ask directly how many nights in the past month were covered by agency workers."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Effectiveness at the November 2021 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare coordination, nutrition, and how well the home meets the specific needs of people with dementia and other conditions. The published summary does not include specific examples of care plan content, GP involvement, dementia training programmes, or how food and nutritional needs are managed. Dementia is listed as a named specialism, which means the home should be able to describe its specific approach.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating means inspectors were satisfied that staff had the skills and knowledge to meet your parent's needs. Food quality accounts for 20.9% of positive family review signals, and healthcare access accounts for 20.2%, so both matter considerably to families choosing a home. Dementia-specific training is not just a box-ticking exercise: the Good Practice evidence base shows that staff who understand dementia communicate differently, respond more calmly to distress, and create better daily routines. The published text does not confirm what specific training the staff here have received, so this is a question worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans function as living documents in higher-quality homes, updated regularly and reflecting the person's current preferences, not just their diagnosis. Homes where families are involved in care plan reviews tend to achieve better outcomes for people with dementia.","watch_out":"Ask when your parent's care plan would be reviewed after admission, who would be involved in that review, and whether you as a family member would be invited to contribute. Also ask what specific dementia training staff have completed and how recently."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Dunollie received a Good rating for Caring at the November 2021 inspection. This domain is assessed on staff warmth, dignity, respect for privacy, and how well staff support residents to maintain independence. The published text does not include inspector observations of specific interactions, resident feedback on how staff made them feel, or examples of how the home respects individual preferences such as preferred names, daily routines, or personal choices.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of satisfaction in our family review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews by name. Compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. These are not soft measures; they are what families remember and what shapes day-to-day quality of life for your mum or dad. The Good Practice evidence base confirms that non-verbal communication, how staff approach someone, whether they make eye contact, whether they move at the resident's pace, matters as much as what is said aloud. A Good rating in Caring is a positive signal, but the absence of specific observations in the published text means you should observe these interactions yourself on a visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual, not just their care plan. Homes where staff consistently use preferred names, knock before entering rooms, and adjust their pace to the resident's demonstrate measurably higher dignity scores in inspection findings.","watch_out":"During your visit, watch how staff approach your parent's potential room and any residents in communal areas. Do they knock? Do they use first names or ask what name the person prefers? Do they sit down to speak with residents rather than talking from a standing position? These small details reveal whether dignity is genuinely embedded or just described in a policy."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home was rated Good for Responsiveness at the November 2021 inspection. This domain covers how well the home tailors its care and activities to individual residents, including those with dementia, and how it handles complaints. The published summary does not describe specific activity programmes, one-to-one engagement for residents who cannot join group sessions, or how individual preferences and life histories are used to shape daily life. Responsiveness also covers end-of-life care planning, which is not described in the available text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive signals in our family review data, and resident happiness accounts for 27.1%. For someone living with dementia, having meaningful things to do each day, rooted in their own history and preferences, is directly linked to reduced distress and better quality of life. The Good Practice evidence base highlights that group activities alone are not enough: people with moderate or advanced dementia often need one-to-one engagement, and homes that provide this consistently perform better on wellbeing measures. The published text does not confirm whether Dunollie provides this level of individual engagement, so it is worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based approaches and the use of familiar everyday tasks, such as folding, gardening, and cooking activities, are among the most effective ways to support people with dementia to feel purposeful and settled. Homes that build these into daily routines, rather than relying on scheduled group sessions, show better outcomes.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activities schedule for the past two weeks, not just the planned one. Ask specifically what happens for residents who cannot participate in group activities, and whether there is a designated member of staff responsible for one-to-one engagement on the dementia unit."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Dunollie was rated Good for Well-led at the November 2021 inspection, having previously been rated Requires Improvement. A named registered manager, Ms Deborah Louise Fox, is confirmed in the registration record, alongside a nominated individual providing organisational oversight. The improvement from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains is a meaningful indicator that leadership identified problems and made changes. The published text does not describe the manager's tenure, how staff are supported or empowered, or what specific governance systems are in place.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management and leadership account for 23.4% of positive family review signals. Families notice whether there is a visible, confident person in charge, whether that person knows the residents by name, and whether staff seem supported and settled. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality: homes where the manager changes frequently tend to see quality decline. The improvement trajectory here is encouraging. Communication with families accounts for 11.5% of positive review signals, and the published text does not confirm how Dunollie keeps relatives informed, so this is a specific area to probe on your visit.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review found that bottom-up empowerment, where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear and where their feedback shapes practice, is a stronger predictor of quality than top-down policy compliance alone. Homes where the manager is regularly visible on the floor and known to residents by name consistently outperform those where leadership is primarily administrative.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask to speak briefly with the registered manager and notice whether they know individual residents by name when you walk through the building together. Also ask how long the current manager has been in post, and how the home would contact you if something changed or went wrong for your parent overnight."}

  Verified by inspector

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 home provides specialist support for sensory impairments and physical disabilities, alongside dementia and mental health care. They welcome younger adults under 65 who need residential or nursing support.. Gaps or open questions remain on Dunollie's team cares for residents living with dementia as part of their broader nursing provision. The home combines dementia support with care for other complex conditions including mental health needs and physical disabilities. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.