Signature House

2 Maumbury Gardens, Dorchester DT1 1GR
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9.8 48 Reviews
  • Signature House, Dorchester
Signature House is located in the heart of Dorchester and provides nursing care for residents who have physical mobility problems and those living with dementia.

Signature House forms part of Amica Care Trust, a not-for-profit organisation which strives to provide exceptional care and support to people and their families.

The home offers a safe and secure, homely living environment, with fully furnished facilities, Wi-Fi, telephone points, flat-screen TVs and a nurse call system. All rooms have ensuite facilities and specialist bathrooms. Meals are freshly prepared and special dietary requirements can be catered for. The activities team provides tailored activities for residents to enjoy and participate in.

The home features a spacious lounge and dining area on each floor, with views overlooking the landscaped gardens surrounding the home. In addition, the residents have access to weekly visits from local GPs, a laundry service and a hairdressing salon on-site.

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Care Provided

Primary Care Categories

  • Older Person Care
  • Dementia
  • Learning Disability / Autism
  • Mental Health Condition
  • Physical Disability

Length of Stay

  • Permanent Care
  • Respite Care

Care Types Provided

  • Nursing Care
  • Dementia Nursing Care
  • For a maximum of 48 Service Users

Dementia Care Types

  • Mild Dementia
  • Moderate Dementia
  • Advanced/Complex Dementia

Other Care Provided

  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Stroke
  • Palliative / End of Life Care
  • COPD/Pulmonary Disease
  • Bariatric Care/Obesity
  • Convalescent Care
  • Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
  • Day Care

Facilities

  • Own Furniture if required
  • Pet Friendly (or by arrangement)
  • Smoking not permitted
  • Close to Local shops
  • Near Public Transport
  • Lift
  • Wheelchair Access
  • Gardens
  • Bar/Café
  • Residents Kitchenette
  • Phone Point in own room
  • Television point in own room
  • Residents Internet Access

Funding & Fees

Weekly Charges per Person

  • Self-Funded Nursing Care: £1210 – £2500
  • Self-Funded Nursing Dementia Care: £1210 – £2500

Care packages are individually assessed and costed according to each person's needs. This is reviewed on a monthly basis and the care package adjusted according to changes in needs.
Fees do not include hairdressing, chiropody, newspapers etc.

These prices are only a guideline, please contact Signature House 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)

Support you may be entitled to

If you chose a care home based in England, you may be eligible for NHS Funded Nursing Care (FNC), which helps cover the cost of nursing. This is worth £254.06 per week and is usually paid directly to the care home.

Good to Know

Group/Owner

Person in charge

  • Mandy Bugler (Home Manager)

Local Authority / Social Services

Admission Criteria

  • Self funded customers, Local Authority referrals and NHS referrals
  • Ages 50+

Care Home Design/Build

  • Purpose Built: Yes
  • Year Purpose Built: 2012
  • Number of floors: 3

Room Information

  • Single Rooms (48)
  • Single Rooms with ensuite Wet Room (45)

Visiting

  • Signature House encourages visitors to visit their loved ones at times suitable for the resident, Signature House also welcomes visitors dining with their loved one at a small charge for the meal.
    It is preferred that visitors do not stay late into the evening or the night unless their loved one is unwell and needs their comfort and support.
    We have a guest room available if visitors wish to stay with us, this is at a small charge.

Parking

  • There is limited parking available within the care home grounds but there is a large public car park opposite the home.

Signature House Reviews (48)

Total of 48, showing 41-48
9.8

Signature House has a Review Score of 9.8 (9.831) out of 10, based on 14 reviews in the last 2 years. Over all time Signature House has 48 reviews.

Overall Experience

  • 42
  • 6
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Date Published

48
6
8
14
34

Review from Diana (Daughter of Resident) published on 27 July 2018
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mother, who had Alzheimer’s, was at Signature House for the last 10 months of her life. I cannot emphasise how much of a relief it was to move her into this home because my levels of worry about her care significantly decreased! No care home can provide 100% perfect care for 100% of the time, but
the staff did a wonderful job in very difficult circumstances, particularly when coping with Mum’s grumpy moods and angry outbursts!
If I had any concerns, I felt able to express them to a variety of staff and felt I was listened to and action taken.
The rooms are modern, light and airy with lovely big windows for the residents to look out for. The secure garden is a joy to go into when the weather is nice. For regular visitors, you are given the necessary codes to get into and out of the building whenever you want.
Thank you to all staff at Signature House for your unending patience and dedication doing one of the most difficult jobs on earth.

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Review from M B (Son of Resident) published on 15 June 2018
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

The care and attention my Mother-in-law received was first class. The staff all went beyond their call of duty. I can only commend and thank them for everything they did in very difficult circumstances.

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Review from C V (Daughter of Resident) published on 7 November 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mother has been at Signature House for more than a year now, following a severe stroke which left her half paralyzed with brain damage and total aphasia. She needs twenty-four hour nursing care.
She seems content with her residence at the home and I am satisfied that she is well cared for.

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Review from Carole D (Wife of Resident) published on 30 October 2017
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My husband went into this home the end of August, having been in hospital. He has dementia and the home has been fantastic. They have made him comfortable and safe. The staff are lovely and caring people. I feel able now to go away for weekends to see my daughter, knowing he is being well cared for,
unlike the place he was in before. The manager is very approachable too, you feel you can talk to her and you are listened to. I feel very lucky he's in Signature House.

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Review from Kathleen C (Daughter of Resident) published on 10 October 2017
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

My mum spent the last nine months of her life in Signature House. ALL the staff from the cleaners, the maintenace team, the laundry team, the carers, the nurses, the reception staff and the management made my mums stay very pleasant in a homely environment.


Nothing was to much trouble for the staff.

Everyone was very friendly, helpful and kept us informed as to mums well being. In mums final days, she was treated with dignity and sympathy by all the staff. I cannot praise this home enough.

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Review from Anna O (Daughter of Resident) published on 7 October 2016
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 5.0 out of 5

I cannot recommend signature house highly enough, they were wonderful looking after my father for the last two months of his life. He really enjoyed his time there and made the most of the trips out - to the pub, to sit in the garden, and to the cinema.
The staff were so kind and caring, with a lovely
natural friendliness, they never 'spoke down' to him. There seemed to be a really good staff/resident ratio.
He enjoyed the food and was given tasty snacks to keep his intake up.
The place was always immaculately clean and the cleaners were friendly and part of the team.
As his health deteriorated they kept us informed and sat with him in the last few hours of his life.
We have had experience of two other local care homes and neither could match up to signature house.

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Review from Pat D (Widow Widower) published on 20 June 2016
Submitted via Website • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

My husband was cared for during the last two and a quarter years of his life whilst suffering with vascular dementia. He was a difficult resident with some challenging behaviour. The care staff were excellent in every way, they learnt to read his moods and provide the appropriate care accordingly! They
were always patient and kind, even managing to get him to chat, smile and share a joke on better days.
He was daily dressed in clean clothes, regularly given personal care so that he was always nice to be near!! He always enjoyed his meals but I don't think he appreciated them quite so much when he eventually had to be spoon fed!! Towards the end they even managed to shave him - most days!!
In his last weeks, the nurses were very supportive to myself and family; my husband was carefully monitored and every need attended to promptly.
I could not have looked after my husband by myself without the facilities provided by Signature Nursing home. I am very grateful to all the staff, thank you all so very much.

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Review from Hannah M (Daughter of Resident) published on 17 March 2016
Submitted via Postal Card • Report

Overall Experience  Overall Experience 4.0 out of 5

Even though the care home operates staffing levels according to legal requirements, due to the nature of the care required on some floors, there is a clear lack of staff. The staff that do work within this care home are amazing at their jobs, but unfortunately suffer with frequent levels of work stress/pressures.
The
maintenance and décor of the building is great and the garden is a very positive feature. Activities for residents are also a positive and welcomed facility. Parking is very limited at the home and needs addressing. Ideal location for residents to facilitate local amenities.

Reply from Keren Wilkinson, Director of Operations at Signature House

Signature House has experienced issues with the housekeeping aspect of the service as this was previously managed by an external contractor. We have since ended the contract with this provider and have taken the services in house. We are in the process of recruiting a full team of housekeeping staff to ensure that the cleanliness of the home is maintained to the highest standard we expect. The Trust operate with staffing levels above those required to meet the level of dependency of our residents, this is reviewed on a monthly basis using a dependency tool that then calculates the hours required to meet the needs of the residents. I am sorry that you feel that they have not been adequate at times and hope that you have approached the manager with your concerns to enable us to review the issues that you have experienced. We always welcome direct feedback to enable us to review our services continuously. Thankyou for your feedback.

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Current Review Score: 9.8 (9.831)

Overview of Review Score

The Review Score of 9.8 (9.831) out of 10 for Signature House is based on a) the Average Rating and b) the number of positive Reviews.

  • a) The Average Rating is 4.8 out of 5 from 14 Reviews in the last 24 months.

  • b) The score for the number of positive Reviews is 5.0 out of 5 from 14 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:

  • a) 5 Points are available for the Average Rating from all Reviews in the last 24 months.

    The Average Rating of 4.831 for Signature House is calculated as follows: ( (138 Excellents x 5) + (28 Goods x 4) ) ÷ 166 Ratings = 4.831

  • b) 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 Signature House is based on 14 positive Reviews in the last 24 months and is calculated as per below:

    The 5 points available are broken down as follows:

    • i) 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

    • ii) 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 48 registered maximum number of service users is 9.6, which has been reached with 14 Positive reviews. Points = 1

  • When a Review is submitted by someone who has previously submitted a Review, only the latest Review will count towards the Review Score.

  • 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: 24 Jun 2023

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.

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Bed Vacancies

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Awards / Recognitions (1)

Meet the Team (5)

Mandy

Mandy Bugler

Job Title: Home Manager

Joined: 2023

Mandy is a Registered Nurse with more than 30 years experience. In June 2020 Mandy was given the title of Queen’s Nurse by the Community Nursing Charity, The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) which indicates a commitment to high standards of patient care, learning and leadership. Mandy leads a team of dedicated nurses and carers to ensure residents living in Signature House receive person-centred care that is empowering, respectful, dignified and compassionate.

Mauwen

Mauwen Luna

Job Title: Deputy Manager

Mauwen has been a registered nurse in the Philippines since 2013 and in the UK since 2018. She gained experience in the care home sector working in the West Midlands for 5 years. Dedicated and hard-working, she took the opportunity to keep progressing through a move to Dorset in late 2023.


Mauwen is always ready for a fresh challenge and new responsibilities, as shown through her impressive work as Deputy Manager. Additionally, she is a mental health first aider and understands the importance of mental health especially for her colleagues. She feels lucky to be in a position where she can enrich the lives of not only her residents and their families but also her colleagues and the wonderful team at Signature House.


Outside her professional life, Mauwen spends time with her family, playing video games or enjoying a walk on the beach. Residing in a beautiful area means the world, as Mauwen and her husband always dreamt of living near the coast.

Maria

Maria Neagoe

Job Title: Senior Nurse

Maria has been a Nurse at Amica Care since 2015, taking on the role of Senior Nurse in 2020.


She is very pleased to have this unique opportunity to make a difference in people's lives, with compassion, patience and positivity.


Having studied Psychology at the University of Romania for 3 years, she qualified as a Psychologist, and this is something that she still has an interest in.


Outside of work Maria is a keen gastronomy cook, experimenting with recipes from all over the world.

Louise

Louise Coombes

Job Title: Home Administrator

Joined: 2024

Louise joined Amica in February 2024 bringing with her over 10 years of administration experience, in such diverse areas as sales and running a quarry weighbridge. She is very organised and enjoys ensuring the smooth running of the administration at Signature House.

Michelle

Michelle Beverley

Job Title: Senior Activities Coordinator

Joined: 2022

Michelle has been the Lead Activity Coordinator at Signature House since 2022. She has a vast experience in Health and Social Care having worked at Signature House as a Health Care Assistant with a NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social care. Prior to working for Amica Care, Michelle worked for the NHS at Southampton General Hospital for 16 years.


Michelle's passion is to make the residents smile and to listen to them should they have any issues or questions. Her focus is on creating person-centred activities that will enrich the residents' lives both physically and cognitively.

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