Dovecote Residential Care Home

Hugar Road, High Spen, Rowlands Gill NE39 2BQ
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9.8 80 Reviews
  • Dovecote Residential Care Home, Rowlands Gill
Rated Good in every single area of their Care Quality Commission report (February 2025), Dovecote has a wonderful team of staff who are devoted to enriching the lives of their residents. They provide residential, dementia and respite care, which can be pre-booked.

A warm and welcoming home, it is surrounded by stunning large gardens with wheelchair friendly pathways.

The bedrooms and communal spaces, including light and airy lounges and dining rooms, are beautifully decorated, with many of bedrooms overlooking the gardens.

The staff, some of whom have been there for over 10 years, are passionate about the home being part of the local community. Every Wednesday, from 2pm to 4pm, they welcome local people along to play bingo and enjoy tea and cake with the residents, who love these regular events.

The residents also attend the High Spen Community Group, which is a big part of the local community.

The team are devoted to giving their residents a sense of belonging and purpose, ensuring they are actively involved in the running of the home.

The home is a hive of activity, with the residents enjoying everything from animal therapy and games afternoons, to a gardening club and trips out in the minibus.

Dovecote also has a ‘Magic Table’, a revolutionary piece of technology designed for people living with dementia, which encourages them to socialise through interactive light games, which encourage gentle movement and cognitive stimulation.

The home also has a hairdressing salon, for regular appointments with a mobile hairdresser.

Residents enjoy home-cooked food in the dining rooms, with everything from roast dinners with all the trimmings, to fish and chip Fridays, with home-baking each day for afternoon tea.
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Care Provided

Primary Care Categories

  • Older Person Care
  • Dementia

Length of Stay

  • Permanent Care
  • Respite Care

Care Types Provided

  • Residential Care
  • Dementia Residential Care
  • For a maximum of 61 Service Users

Dementia Care Types

  • Mild Dementia
  • Moderate Dementia

Other Care Provided

  • Palliative / End of Life Care
  • Convalescent Care

Facilities

  • Own Furniture if required
  • Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
  • Close to Local shops
  • Near Public Transport
  • Minibus or other transport
  • Lift
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Gardens
  • Television point in own room

Funding & Fees

Weekly Charges per Person

  • Self-Funded Residential Care: from £1096
  • RESPITE Self-Funded Residential Care: from £1096

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 £1096, 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 Dovecote 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

  • Lesley Dawson (Home Manager)

Local Authority / Social Services

Admission Criteria

  • Ages 65+

Care Home Design/Build

  • Purpose Built: No

Room Information

  • Single Rooms (61)

Dovecote Residential Care Home Reviews (80)

9.8

Dovecote Residential Care Home has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.800) out of 10, based on 17 reviews in the last 2 years.
Over all time Dovecote Residential Care Home has 80 reviews.

Overall Experience
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Date Published
  • 80
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Reviewer Connection to Dovecote Residential Care Home
  • 23
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Total of 80, showing 61-80
Review from D B (Daughter-in-law of Resident) published on 3 April 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Excellent service, friendly and experienced staff. Dignity and respect always shown to residents. Would recommend.
Reply from Fae Doherty, Marketing Officer at Dovecote Residential Care Home

Thank you for your kind words. It is great to hear that you would recommend our home. Best wishes.

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Review from Paul I (Brother of Resident) published on 27 March 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Fantastic staff, wonderful food. My sister lives at Dovecote and she gets the best care. She loves it. The manager is very friendly.
Reply from Ruth Brown, Senior Marketing Officer at Dovecote Residential Care Home

Hello Paul, many thanks for your wonderful review of Dovecote, it's lovely to hear you are very happy with all aspects of your sister's care.

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Review from James S (Husband of Resident) published on 13 March 2019 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I find the staff are very caring and considerate. They give my wife lots of attention and help.
Reply from Fae Doherty, Marketing Officer at Dovecote Residential Care Home

Dear James, thank you for your review - it's very good to hear that you're pleased with the care our team provide to your wife. Best wishes, Fae

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Review from Mary H (Wife of Resident) published on 12 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I am happy that my husband is treated with respect and care by all staff who are lovely, caring and compassionate with him. It means a lot to me not to have to worry about his care as I know he would not be better looked after.
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Review from David R (Son of Resident) published on 12 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
My family have always found the regular staff to be very caring. Any issues we have been listened to and usually resolved quickly. All issues we have had have all been relatively minor and we are very happy with things as they are at the moment.
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Review from Sandra E (Daughter of Resident) published on 12 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I have found the staff extremely helpful and very patient which at times must be difficult. Overall I find everyone brilliant.
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Review from Harry W (Son of Resident) published on 12 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Mother has been in Dovecote Residential & Nursing Home for the past four years and during this period I can only praise the level of care she has received.
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Review from Christopher S (Husband of Resident) published on 12 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I found the staff very friendly and helpful. They took very good care of my wife and treated her with great respect.
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Review from Alex P (Friend of Resident) published on 11 October 2018 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
My experience with the staff is always a very positive one. Any small problem dealt with quickly.
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Review from Rhonda S (Daughter of Resident) published on 25 July 2018 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My mother spent 17 months in Dovecote and I never had to worry about her while she was there. She was well fed and well cared for, the home is clean and the staff couldn't be more caring.
After a six week stay in hospital we managed to get her back to Dovecote for her last few days before she died.
I
was with her in Dovecote on the day she died and the staff were brilliant and them being there did a lot to get me through her last hours. I was pleased she died there amongst people she knew and who cared about her.
Thank you Dovecote
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Review from P C (Daughter of Resident) published on 22 May 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
When my mother arrived at the home, she was very distressed and depressed with being in the hospital and had lost her sparkle and wasn't very talkative. She'd also lost a lot of weight. Now 5 weeks on, she has put on weight, interacting with staff and has a good diet. All the staff from management,
carers to domestics have been friendly towards her and made her feel welcome and at home. Not only to my mother but also to us as her family. We have also received a lot of support from management and staff.
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Review from Louise H (Wife of Resident) published on 13 March 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
My husband needed to walk all day and night with the help of the staff at Dovecote. He is very much settled and I have great faith in the home as it is well staffed and carers are always on hand to help my husband and myself.
I feel very happy with the level of care my husband gets.
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Review from L E (Brother of Resident) published on 15 February 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Excellent.
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Review from J C S (Husband of Resident) published on 15 February 2017 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
Staff have been very friendly and helpful. My wife has been well looked after.
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Review from Elsie S (Friend of Resident) published on 11 August 2016 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
I visit this care home every day (for the last six months) and there has been a great deal of work done to refurbish the public areas and now they are doing the bedrooms, all to a very high standard. The staff are very helpful to residents and also to visitors and always make sure the resident is nice
and clean and well presented.
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Review from R D (Relative of Resident) published on 11 August 2016 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The improvement in the home in the last 6 months has been incredible. the garden area is amazing and for the residents to enjoy. Memory boxes are a fantastic idea. Trips and activities are wonderful.
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Review from Barbara D (Relative of Resident) published on 29 July 2016 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
I am very impressed with the standard and caring attitude of all the staff who work extremely hard. The home is well managed and presented to a high standard. I would recommend it to future users.
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Review from Lynda (Daughter of Resident) published on 5 May 2016 Submitted via Website • Report
Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5
The staff are very caring, the job they do is very demanding but they always seem so kind and patient with the residents. My father was in dovecote until his death in December, without this care home I don't know how my family would have coped.
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Review from Joe B (Husband of Resident) published on 29 March 2016 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
Husband of service user I haven't got anything to compare Dovecote with, but overall happy with my care wife receive's.
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Review from Muriel N (Friend of Resident) published on 29 March 2016 Submitted via Postal Card • Report
Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5
The service user's are really happy. I have been visiting Dovecote for 13 years and think it is a lovely place.
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Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.800)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.800) out of 10 for Dovecote 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 17 Reviews in the last 24 months.
  2. The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 17 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 4.800 for Dovecote Residential Care Home is calculated as follows: ( (165 Excellents x 5) + (30 Goods x 4) + (5 Satisfactorys x 3) ) ÷ 200 Ratings = 4.8
  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 5 Points relating to the number of positive Reviews for Dovecote Residential Care Home is based on 17 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 + 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 = 4
    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 61 registered maximum number of service users is 12.2, which has been reached with 17 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: 22 Oct 2024

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 (11)

Gillian

Gillian Armstrong

Job Title: Team Leader Joined: 2017

Gillian has worked for Sanctuary for over 6 years and she loves working with our residents.


"I am so passionate about care, so really believe this reflects in the standard of the work I do and care I give to our residents."

Amanda

Amanda Thacker

Job Title: Head Chef Joined: 1998

I have worked at Dovecote for 25 years and make sure all the residents have such a good balanced and nutritious diet with food they love to eat. I love to do home baking.

Julie

Julie Ackerley

Job Title: Care Assistant Joined: 2016

I have worked at Dovecote for 7 years and I love the residents. We are a really good team that work so well together.

Francesca

Francesca Atkinson

Job Title: Team Leader Joined: 2019

Working here gives me so much back - it’s very rewarding. I have a good rapport with the residents and it’s great to be part of the team here. I am a very approachable person, and I always have a smile on my face!

Lynne

Lynne Younger

Job Title: Administrator Joined: 2021

Lynne has worked for us at Dovecote since 2021 and 'loves being a part of a big team and being around and spending time with our residents'.

Harry

Harry Hopper

Job Title: Maintenance Operative Joined: 2023

I love interacting with the residents and the staff here are brilliant - it’s such a good place to work.
I am always told I do a good job I am really appreciated at Dovecote which is really good.

Gill

Gill Ord

Job Title: Care Assistant Joined: 2022

It’s so lovely to laugh with the residents and make them happy. Everyone at Dovecote is so friendly - and the staff are just brilliant to work with.

Tracy

Tracy Cummings

Job Title: Housekeeper Joined: 2013

My name is Tracy and I have worked here for 10 years.
I absolutely love the home and the residents. It is a lovely place to work and such a happy environment.

Alan

Alan Nairn

Job Title: Housekeeper Joined: 1998

My name is Alan and I have worked at Dovecote for 25 years.
I love working for our residents, it’s like an extended family.

Louise

Louise Foster

Job Title: Activities co-ordinator Joined: 2022

I like working with the residents and staff, they are wonderful it’s a lovely place to work.

Claire

Claire Wade

Job Title: Housekeeper Joined: 2022

I love working here. Dovecote is a fabulous place to work - the residents, the job and the staff, it’s all amazing!

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