Don Thomson House Residential Care Home

Low Road, Dovercourt, Harwich CO12 3TS
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9.5 41 Reviews
  • Don Thomson House Residential Care Home, Harwich
At Don Thomson House, so many of the dedicated team have been with the home for many years, providing that wonderful continuity of care. And with just 28 bedrooms, the home has such a warm, family feel.

The teams provide residential and dementia care, as well as a respite care breaks, which can be pre-booked. These are perfect for those caring for loved ones at home. You can book a short break to recharge the batteries, knowing your relative or partner is in safe hands and enjoying a short holiday too.

The large gardens are a beautiful spot to relax with family and friends, who are welcome at any time. Residents often enjoy afternoon tea here, as well as summer barbecues. The home has its own gardening club – and a resident pheasant called Geoffrey!

Inside, the home has recently been refurbished, with lots of warm and welcoming spaces to relax in, from cosy lounges to a hair salon, where residents can enjoy regular appointments with a mobile hairdresser.

The bedrooms are beautifully decorated, and many of the ground floor rooms have direct access to the gardens, which are surrounded by wheelchair friendly pathways.

There are so many activities to enjoy, from gentle exercises to pampering sessions. Some of the residents enjoy religious services in the heart of the home, while others prefer games or gardening.

The residents enjoy delicious home-cooking each day in the dining rooms. The chef prepares everything from home-made soups and roast dinners with all the trimmings, to freshly baked cakes for afternoon tea. And every week there is fish and chip Friday!

The team follows Sanctuary Care’s Enriching Lives Framework, based on the six senses people need to feel happy and fulfilled – a sense of achievement, belonging, continuity, significance, purpose, and security. This focusses on what residents love to do and what they want to achieve, making their care even more person-centred.
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Care Provided

Primary Care Categories

  • Older Person Care
  • Dementia
  • Physical Disability
  • Visual / Hearing Impairment

Length of Stay

  • Permanent Care
  • Respite Care

Care Types Provided

  • Residential Care
  • Dementia Residential Care
  • For a maximum of 28 Service Users

Dementia Care Types

  • Mild Dementia
  • Moderate Dementia

Facilities

  • Own Furniture if required
  • Close to Local shops
  • Near Public Transport
  • Lift
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Gardens
  • Residents Kitchenette
  • Phone Point in own room
  • Television point in own room

Funding & Fees

Weekly Charges per Person

  • Self-Funded Residential Care: from £1344
  • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Care: from £1344

Our weekly fees are individual to each of our residents and are subject to a pre-admission assessment, which is required to understand the level of care and support needed. Our 2025 weekly care fees for residential care start from £1344 but may be in the region of 30% more*. This depends on your care needs and the type of bedroom that is right for you, from our standard rooms through to our premium bedroom options.


*If you require more specialist care such as 1-2-1 support, your weekly fee could be higher.

These prices are only a guideline, please contact Don Thomson House Residential Care Home to find out the exact price for your requirements.

Funding Types Accepted

  • Self Funding (Private)
  • Local Authority with Top Up
  • Local Authority
  • NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)

Good to Know

Person in charge

  • Colette Greenhalgh (Home Manager)

Local Authority / Social Services

Admission Criteria

  • Ages 65+

Care Home Design/Build

  • Purpose Built: No

Room Information

  • Single Rooms (28)

Don Thomson House Residential Care Home Reviews (41)

9.5

Don Thomson House Residential Care Home has a Review Score of 9.5 (9.521) out of 10, based on 7 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Don Thomson House Residential Care Home has 41 reviews.

Overall Experience
  • 36
  • 5
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
Date Published
  • 41
  • 3
  • 5
  • 7
  • 34
Reviewer Connection to Don Thomson House Residential Care Home
  • 27
  • 3
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
Total of 41, showing 41-41
Review from Lynne J (Daughter of Resident) published on 9 December 2015 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My family and myself have been very happy with the care dad has received. All of his care has been friendly and professional. The cook has gone our of her way to provide food dad likes as he is a fussy eater. His clothes are washed and returned on the same day. All his medical needs are assessed and
taken care of. A lovely care home
  • Facilities
  • Care / Support
  • Cleanliness
  • Treated with Dignity
  • Food & Drink
  • Staff
  • Activities
  • Management
  • Safety / Security
  • Rooms
  • Value for Money
Current Review Score: 9.5 (9.521)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.5 (9.521) out of 10 for Don Thomson House Residential Care Home is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  1. The Average Rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 7 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 4.7 out of 5 from 7 positive Reviews in the last 24 months.

Detailed Breakdown of Review Score

The maximum Review Score for a Care Home is 10, which is made up from the Average Rating of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) and the Number of Reviews (maximum of 5 points) in the last 24 months:

  1. 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months. The Average Rating of 4.821 for Don Thomson House Residential Care Home is calculated as follows: ( (71 Excellents x 5) + (11 Goods x 4) + (2 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 84 Ratings = 4.821
  2. 5 Points are available for the number of Positive Reviews in the last 24 months. A Positive Review is defined as any Review with an 'Overall Experience' of '4' or '5' (out of a max rating '5'). The 4.7 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Don Thomson House Residential Care Home is based on 7 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    1. 4 points are available for the first 10 Positive Reviews in the last 24 months; 3 points for the first Positive Review, and then 0.125 Points for each of the next four Positive Reviews and then 0.1 Points for the next five Positive Reviews. (1st = 3.000, 2nd = 0.125, 3rd = 0.125, 4th = 0.125, 5th = 0.125, 6th = 0.100, 7th = 0.100, 8th = 0.100, 9th = 0.100, 10th = 0.100) 3 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.125 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 3.7
    2. 1 point is available for the number of Positive Reviews reaching 20% of the registered maximum number of service users in the last 24 months. If this number is partially reached, then that proportion of 1 point is given. eg a Care Home registered for a maximum of 50 service users has to reach 10 Positive Reviews to receive 1 point, if it has 7 reviews it will receive 0.7 points. 20% of the 28 registered maximum number of service users is 5.6, which has been reached with 7 Positive reviews. Points = 1
  3. When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.
  4. If a Care Home does not have a review in the last 24 months, then it will not have a Review Score.

Regulatory Rating

Care Quality Commission (CQC) Rating

Date: 16 Mar 2018

Overall Good

  • Caring Good
  • Effective Good
  • Responsive Good
  • Safe Good
  • Well-led Good
Care Quality Commission is responsible for the registration and inspection of social care services in England. View Latest Report

Bed Vacancies

Please contact us for latest vacancies.

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Awards / Recognitions (8)

Meet the Team (5)

Colette

Colette Greenhalgh

Job Title: Home Manager Joined: 2007

Colette has worked at Don Thomson House for over 15 years and is proud to have progressed to home manager.


The residents mean everything to me,” she explains.


When I walk through the door I am coming to look after 28 nans and granddads – I love making them smile and I leave work knowing I’ve made a difference.


And that is very much how the rest of the staff are here. The team always go that extra mile for our residents, to deliver truly person-centred care – for them, nothing is too much trouble.”

Sherry

Sherry East

Job Title: Deputy Manager Joined: 1999

I have worked at Don Thomson for over two decades! I have full job satisfaction and when I get home I know that I have made a difference in the residents' lives.

Stuart

Stuart Haylett

Job Title: Maintenance Officer Joined: 2021

I applied for this position as I get a high degree of job satisfaction as it suits my interests. The staff are friendly and helpful and always do their best for residents.

Julie

Julie Thorpe

Job Title: Care Assistant Joined: 2018

I love my job and the team are brilliant. The residents are well cared for and I am proud to work here.

Geoffrey

Geoffrey Kitching

Job Title: Chef Manager Joined: 2017

I enjoy cooking and baking for our residents very much - this really is a very rewarding job.

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