Dover House
- Care home
- 86 beds
- Nursing care
- Dementia care
- Registered since 2022
- Dover, Kent, South East
Requires improvement
Rated on
Rating from the Care Quality Commission.
At a glance
8 ratings
Its last inspection improved it from Inadequate to Requires improvement.
3 months
since the latest rating was published.
89 of 445
rated care homes in Kent are rated Requires improvement, like this one.
Dover House: inspection record
Rated Requires improvement in July 2026, up from Inadequate.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | ||||||||||||
| Safe | ||||||||||||
| Effective | ||||||||||||
| Caring | ||||||||||||
| Responsive | ||||||||||||
| Well-led |
Ratings published by the Care Quality Commission.
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: White Cliffs Lodge (Good, less than 0.1 miles away) and Felbrigg House (Good, 0.6 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G White Cliffs Lodge Good, less than 0.1 miles away
- RI Harmonia Village Requires improvement, 0.1 miles away
- RI Twyford House Requires improvement, 0.4 miles away
- G Felbrigg House Good, 0.6 miles away
- G United Response - 1 St Alphege Road Good, 0.6 miles away
What inspectors found
From the Care Quality Commission's assessment published 31 July 2026 (assessment visit 18 June 2026). Quoted under the Open Government Licence.
Date of assessment: On site visits 30 June and 1 July 2026. The service is a residential and nursing care home providing accommodation and personal care for younger people, older people and people living with dementia. The service can support a maximum of 86 people. There were 47 people living in the service at the time of inspection.
The inspection was undertaken to follow up on enforcement action taken following our previous inspection when the service was rated inadequate (published 10 February 2026). At the last inspection, the provider was in breach of regulations in relation to person centred care, need for consent, safe care and treatment, safeguarding, premises and equipment, good governance and staffing. We checked to confirm if the provider had made improvements and the enforcement action taken had been complied with.
We found a number of improvements had been made and although some further improvement was necessary, we were confident the provider was working towards full compliance with regulations. The provider and registered manager had developed a service improvement plan following the last inspection and commissioned extra resources to support the immediate changes needed. They worked well with health and social care partners to ensure people’s safety was a priority. An emphasis had been placed on improving the environment people were living in, staff training and upskilling, improved risk management, learning lessons and care planning. We now had no concerns for people’s safety, and the quality of care and the environment people were living in was improving.
However, there continued to be breaches of regulation in relation to the safe management of medicines, maintenance and management of the premises, implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) in relation to people’s rights and consent and effective governance systems.
This service has been in Special Measures since 10 February 2026. The provider demonstrated improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
- Safe No rating
- Effective No rating
- Caring Good
- Responsive No rating
- Well-led No rating
Read the rest of CQC's summary
-
Safe
No rating
Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question inadequate. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant some aspects of the service were not always safe and there was limited assurance about safety. There was an increased risk that people could be harmed.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to the safe management of people’s medicines and the maintenance and management of the premises and environment.
-
Effective
No rating
Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.
At our last assessment we rated this key question inadequate. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant the effectiveness of people’s care, treatment and support did not always achieve good outcomes or was inconsistent.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to consent to care.
-
Caring
Good
Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
At our last assessment we rated this key question inadequate. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.
-
Responsive
No rating
Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.
At our last assessment we rated this key question inadequate. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant people’s needs were not always met. -
Well-led
No rating
Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.
At our last assessment we rated this key question inadequate. At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.
The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to governance at the service.
Questions to ask when you visit
- Safe was rated Requires improvement on 31 July 2026. Ask how medicines are managed, how staffing levels are decided and how incidents are reviewed.
- Effective was rated Requires improvement on 31 July 2026. Ask about staff training and how health appointments are arranged.
- Responsive was rated Requires improvement on 31 July 2026. Ask to see how care plans are kept up to date, how complaints are handled and what activities are on offer.
- Well-led was rated Requires improvement on 31 July 2026. Ask about changes in management and what has changed since the report.
Registration details
- Registered manager
- Amanda Lailey
- Registered with the CQC since
- What it provides
- Care home service with nursing
- Who it supports
- Dementia, Mental Health, Older People, Physical Disability, Sensory Impairment, Younger Adults
Inspection report
Read the full inspection report (opens the Care Quality Commission website)1 inspection report, latest 22 February 2023. Latest assessment published 31 July 2026; the Care Quality Commission's newer assessments are published on its website rather than as reports.
The rating is the Care Quality Commission's. We show it as published and do not change it.
Who runs it
- Provider
- Dover House (GC) Limited
- Ownership type
- Organisation
- Companies House number
- 13660190 (opens Companies House)
Getting help from Kent County Council
The council can assess what care someone needs and tell them what help with the cost they may get.
- Adult social care at Kent County Council
- Ask for a care needs assessment
- Phone: 03000 41 61 61, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
- Contact adult social care online
- Support for carers
- Paying for care: Kent County Council
Checked on the council's website, November 2026.
Common questions
- Does Dover House provide nursing care?
- Yes. The Care Quality Commission lists Dover House as a care home with nursing.
- How many beds does Dover House have?
- The Care Quality Commission's register lists 86 beds at Dover House.
- When was Dover House last inspected?
- The Care Quality Commission's latest rating for Dover House was published on 31 July 2026.
- Who runs Dover House?
- Dover House is run by Dover House (GC) Limited.
- What is Dover House's CQC rating?
- Its overall rating from the Care Quality Commission is Requires improvement, published on 31 July 2026.
Contact
- Phone
- 01304 898989
- Address
- 57 Coombe Valley Road, Dover, CT17 0EX Map (opens Google Maps)
Compare nearby
Nearest rated Good or Outstanding: White Cliffs Lodge (Good, less than 0.1 miles away) and Felbrigg House (Good, 0.6 miles away).
Nearest care homes:
- G White Cliffs Lodge Good, less than 0.1 miles away
- RI Harmonia Village Requires improvement, 0.1 miles away
- RI Twyford House Requires improvement, 0.4 miles away
- G Felbrigg House Good, 0.6 miles away
- G United Response - 1 St Alphege Road Good, 0.6 miles away