Dove Tree House

What families say

Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality68
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-01-09 · Report published 2019-01-09 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Dove Tree House received a Good rating for safety at its December 2018 inspection. The published report does not include specific detail about staffing ratios, medicines management, falls recording, or infection control practices. A Good rating indicates inspectors did not find significant safety concerns at the time of the visit. The home cares for people living with dementia and adults with physical disabilities, both of whom can have complex safety needs. No specific inspector observations or resident or relative testimony about safety is recorded in the published findings.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safe rating is reassuring as a starting point, but it tells you less than you might hope when the published detail is this thin. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes, and our family review data shows that staff attentiveness (cited in around 14% of positive reviews) is closely linked to how safe families feel their parent is. Because this inspection is from December 2018, you cannot rely on it to reflect today's staffing or safety practices. You will need to ask directly about current staffing numbers, agency use, and how the home records and responds to falls or incidents.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is one of the clearest predictors of safety risk in care homes, because unfamiliar staff are less able to spot early changes in a person's condition or behaviour.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you last week's actual staffing rota for the dementia unit, not a template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency workers, and specifically ask how many staff are on duty overnight for the current number of residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for effective care at its December 2018 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, and food. No specific detail about dementia training content, GP access arrangements, care plan review frequency, or food quality is recorded in the published findings. The home lists dementia as a specialism, which means inspectors would have considered whether staff had appropriate knowledge and skills. A Good rating indicates no significant concerns were identified at the time.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For a home that specialises in dementia care, the effective domain matters enormously. Good Practice evidence shows that care plans need to function as living documents, updated regularly as your parent's needs change, and that families who are included in reviews report significantly higher confidence in the quality of care. Food quality is also a meaningful signal: 20.9% of positive family reviews mention food specifically, and poor nutrition is a common and often underreported risk for people living with dementia. The inspection did not record specific detail on any of these areas, so you will need to ask the home directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that regular, meaningful GP access and proactive health monitoring are among the strongest predictors of good outcomes for people living with dementia in residential care settings.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often your parent's care plan would be reviewed, and whether you would be invited to take part in those reviews. Also ask what dementia-specific training staff have completed in the last 12 months and whether that training included non-verbal communication."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"Dove Tree House received a Good rating for caring at its December 2018 inspection. This domain covers staff warmth, dignity, respect, and whether people retain independence in daily life. No specific inspector observations about how staff speak to or interact with residents are recorded in the published findings. No quotes from residents or relatives about their experience of being cared for are included in the published report. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the standard of caring interactions at the time of the visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single most powerful driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned by name in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity together account for a further 55.2%. These are not soft extras: they are what families remember and what your mum or dad will experience every day. The absence of specific observations in this report means you cannot use the inspection findings alone to judge how staff actually behave. The most reliable way to assess this is to visit unannounced if the home allows it, and to watch how staff move through the building, whether they knock before entering rooms, and whether they use your parent's preferred name without being prompted.","evidence_base":"Good Practice evidence confirms that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal interaction for people living with dementia. Staff who move without hurry, make eye contact, and use touch appropriately produce measurably better wellbeing outcomes than those who are task-focused.","watch_out":"When you visit, find a moment to sit in a communal area for at least 15 minutes without being guided. Watch how staff speak to the people who live there: do they crouch down to eye level, use first names, and take their time, or do they talk across residents while completing tasks?"}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The home received a Good rating for responsiveness at its December 2018 inspection. This domain covers activities, individual engagement, and end-of-life care planning. No specific detail about the activities programme, one-to-one engagement for people with advanced dementia, or how the home tailors care to individual preferences is recorded in the published findings. A Good rating indicates inspectors did not find significant concerns in this area at the time of the visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and individual engagement matter more than many families realise before their parent moves into a care home. Our family review data shows that resident happiness is cited in 27.1% of positive reviews, and activities in 21.4%. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient for people living with dementia: one-to-one engagement, everyday household tasks, and Montessori-based approaches produce significantly better wellbeing outcomes. The inspection gives you no specific evidence on whether Dove Tree House does this well or not. You will need to ask about the activity programme and, critically, what happens for your parent on days when group activities are not running or when they cannot join in.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that individualised activity, including familiar household tasks and sensory engagement, produces better outcomes for people with dementia than group programmes alone, particularly for those who can no longer participate in structured sessions.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator (or the manager if there is no dedicated coordinator) what would happen on a typical Tuesday afternoon for a resident who cannot join a group session. Ask to see a recent weekly activity schedule, not a promotional leaflet."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"Dove Tree House received a Good rating for well-led at its December 2018 inspection. A named registered manager, Miss Mary-Louise Ann Davidson, was in post at the time, and Mrs Dawn Sandra Stone was recorded as the nominated individual. The home is run by Stonehaven (Healthcare) Ltd. No specific detail about management visibility, staff culture, governance processes, or how the home responds to complaints is recorded in the published findings. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied with the leadership of the home at the time of the visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the clearest predictors of care quality over time. Good Practice research shows that homes where the registered manager has been in post for at least two years, and where staff feel able to raise concerns without fear, consistently outperform homes with frequent management changes. The inspection from December 2018 is now over six years old, which means the manager recorded may no longer be in post. This is one of the most important questions to ask before you commit to a placement. Our family review data shows that communication with families (cited in 11.5% of positive reviews) is closely linked to management responsiveness: families who feel kept informed tend to feel more confident about the care their parent is receiving.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that leadership stability and a culture where staff can speak up are among the strongest predictors of sustained care quality, particularly in homes supporting people with dementia whose needs increase over time.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly how long they have been in post at this home, and whether the same registered manager who was in place at the last inspection is still there. Also ask how the home communicates with families when something goes wrong, and whether they can give you a recent example."}

  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 team at Dove Tree House cares for residents over 65 with different support needs. They provide specialist dementia care alongside support for people with physical disabilities.. Gaps or open questions remain on Dove Tree House includes dementia care among its core services. The home accepts residents at different stages of their dementia journey, providing appropriate support as needs change. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.