Sidmouth Nub News is excited to announce that Doveleigh Care Ltd has become our main sponsor.

This new partnership will help Sidmouth Nub News to keep reporting on the issues that matter to our readers, celebrating all the people and organisations that make Sidmouth special.

Doveleigh Care Ltd has three care homes in East Devon, providing residential care of an exceptional standard for the elderly; namely Arcot House in Sidmouth, Dove Court in Seaton and Doveridge in Colyton.

Not only are all three homes presently rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), but all three have recently been awarded their second consecutive Outstanding rating by CQC.

Senior Manager, Samantha Evens, described this as 'an absolutely amazing achievement'. She said: "CQC recently rated Arcot House in Sidmouth as Outstanding in all five domains of inspection for the second time, which makes it the first and only residential care home in the country to achieve this incredible feat!"

'Diligence and thoroughness of staff'

She added that all three homes have remained free of the Covid-19 virus throughout the pandemic. She said: "This has been down mainly to the diligence and thoroughness of our staff at all times.

"Contact between residents and their loved ones has been difficult during lockdown, but by using Skype, Facebook and other social media applications, it has at least been possible.

"Residents were also regularly taken out for drives around the countryside on a one to one basis during this difficult time in one of our three company vehicles, that we call Dove Bugs.

"As restrictions are easing, families are now being allowed to visit their loved ones for the first time since lockdown began, albeit with some limitations. We are hoping that the present restrictions will soon be eased further as the country begins to return to normal."

Three homes with different characters

Each of Doveleigh Care's three homes has its own special character.

Arcot House is a 28-bed home, providing care in the beautiful setting of a Georgian manor house with a large secure garden. An additional, spacious five-bedroom ground floor extension has now been completed and is ready for occupation. Each room in the extension is en-suite and comes with its own private terrace overlooking the garden.

Dove Court is a beautiful, genteel, 32 bed care home set high on the hillside above Seaton, with stunning views and a large conservatory and patio looking over the Axe valley towards Axmouth and Lyme Bay.

Doveridge is a homely 20-bed care home set in an old farmhouse. It provides personal care for older people living with dementia, whilst maintaining a very "home from home" atmosphere.

With a total of more than 85 staff across its three homes, Doveleigh Care is an important local employer.

Samantha explained: "We over-recruit to 120 per cent in each home and never have to use agency workers. We keep consistent and well-trained staff who feel valued."

On the partnership with Sidmouth Nub News, Samantha said, "We are a community employer and we like the way Nub News builds a relationship with the local community and celebrates all that is good about it.

"This has been a very difficult year for everyone, with a lot of negative news around. But there have also been so many positive things happening and it's important to highlight those too. We appreciate the fact that, like us, Nub News has high professional standards, but a very human touch."

Nub News CEO, Karl Hancock, said: "Sidmouth is my home town and I know Doveleigh Care as a big local employer, so it's particularly special to be able to welcome them on board.

"One of our main principles is supporting local businesses and promoting their strengths. Like us, they really care about the community and about that personal touch. We look forward to a long partnership."