My vision
I'm Arlene — and I believe everyone deserves care that truly sees them. As a senior leader and researcher in health and social care, I've dedicated my career to helping services become better, fairer, and more deeply human.
Our Latest Insights
Our Services
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Operational Oversight
Your Service, in Safe Hands
Running a care service in Scotland or England is one of the most demanding leadership roles there is. The regulatory landscape never stands still. Staffing pressures don't pause. Quality has to be maintained every single day — not just on inspection day. And when you're a provider, owner, or board member operating at a distance from the day-to-day, it can be genuinely difficult to know with confidence: is everything as it should be?
That's exactly where Mac Research and Consultancy comes in.
We Keep your services in Mind so you dont have to!
Our Comprehensive Operational Oversight Package is designed around one simple idea: you should always know what's happening in your service, and you should always have an expert in your corner when something needs to change.
We provide strategic leadership, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and operational support — tailored to what your service actually needs, not a one-size-fits-all package. Whether you're navigating a leadership gap, preparing for inspection, recovering from a difficult period, or simply want the reassurance of senior external oversight, we bring over 20 years of senior Scottish and English social care experience directly to your service.
If something urgent arises, we act. We don't write a report and schedule a meeting for three weeks' time.
We're not here to judge your service. We're here to strengthen it.
Our Services
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Monthly Quality Assurance
Monthly Complete Analysis: Falls records, AP1 notifications, and quality audits (IPC, medications, care planning, environment, staffing).
Updated SIP: Monthly updates with clear actions and timescales.
Annual CI Readiness Assessment: Full mock inspection with grading and improvement report.
On-Call Support: Unlimited email advice, 24-hour response.
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One-Day Snapshot Assessment - The Quick Wins
A comprehensive, intensive on-site assessment conducted over a full working day to capture a real-time picture of your service's current performance. The Consultant will observe daily operations, review key documentation, engage with staff and residents, and inspect the environment to identify immediate areas for improvement.
Remote Support Package
Flexible professional support for care services via email and video. Includes unlimited email correspondence with one business day response times, plus up to two scheduled Microsoft Teams calls monthly (30 or 60 minutes). Receive expert guidance on care planning, compliance, operations, and staff management. Ideal for cost-effective consultancy without travel expenses. Perfect for care homes needing ad-hoc expert advice while maintaining high care standards.
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Our Services
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Dementia Informed Level (15 Staff)
The training is a full-day dementia awareness course based on the Promoting Excellence – Informed Level framework. Participants learn what dementia is, its impact on daily life, and how to support people through person-centred, rights-based approaches. Topics include communication strategies, reducing stigma, enabling independence, managing stress, safeguarding, and carer rights. The package includes interactive activities, a workbook and certification,
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Dementia Skilled
Level (10 Staff)
The Skilled Level Dementia Training is a full-day course under the Promoting Excellence framework, it focuses on rights-based, person-centred care, co-produced planning, and positive risk-taking. Topics include dementia types, behaviour as communication, medication considerations, and reflective practice. Includes case studies, tools, workbook, certificate, and an action planning template for managers.
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Care Inspectorate and CQC Registration
The ultimate goal is not simply to achieve registration, but to establish a care service that is genuinely well-prepared to deliver high-quality, person-centred care from day one of operation.
6 Step Journey:
1)Initial consultation and planning
2)Full policy review and/or creation
3)Application completion
4) Policy development
5) Manager preparation
6) Mock interviews or walkthroughs
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Care Inspectorate and CQC Readiness Assessment
A Care Inspectorate mock inspection simulates a real inspection to assess a service's readiness. It involves observing practice, speaking with people receiving care and staff, interviewing the manager, reviewing documentation, and examining the environment. Detailed feedback and a written report identify strengths and areas for improvement before the official inspection.
HR and Leadership
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Leadership Development Programme
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Bespoke Leadership Training: Tailored leadership programs designed for care sector managers and senior staff
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Workforce Upskilling: Structured programs to enhance skills, knowledge, and professional development
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Confidence Building: Targeted interventions to build confidence and competence across the workforce
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Coaching Services: One-to-one or group coaching delivered on ad hoc or regular scheduled basis
Our Services
Pre-Registration Site Inspection
A pre-registration site assessment evaluates proposed premises before Care Inspectorate or CQC application. It checks compliance with NIPCM infection control standards, regulatory requirements, and health and safety legislation. Identifying issues early prevents costly delays, failed applications, or requirements during registration. A detailed report provides recommendations for remedial action before official scrutiny.
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Full Refurbishment and Property Management
A specialist property management company ensures your care home remains safe, compliant, and well-maintained — handling everything from planned refurbishments and interior upgrades to managing all statutory certifications including gas, electrical, fire safety, and legionella testing. When something goes wrong, their reactive maintenance service provides a fast, reliable response through a single point of contact, minimising disruption to residents and staff. By taking the burden of estates management off your shoulders, they free you to focus entirely on delivering outstanding care.
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Digital Integration Experts
Digital integration and non-invasive remote monitoring transform how care is delivered by providing real-time oversight of residents' wellbeing without disrupting their daily routines or compromising their dignity. Smart sensors, wearable devices, and connected care platforms can detect changes in movement patterns, sleep quality, and vital signs early — enabling staff to intervene proactively rather than reactively. For providers, this means improved outcomes, reduced hospital admissions, and a powerful evidence base to demonstrate quality of care to families and inspectors alike.
Special Offers
Our Commitment to Care
Why Choose Us
Mac Research and Consultancy Limited was borne of with an ambition to become THE leading care consultancy in Scotland, specialising in operational oversight, compliance, inspections, and dementia training. With over 20 years of experience, we provide tailored solutions that enhance service quality and promote innovation in care.
Our Clients Say
If you are here looking for a recommendation for Mac-Research and Arlene Bunton, it would be my absolute honour to share our experience with her and her new company.
If there were ever a movie scene that captured despair, watching your business begin to burn before it even had the chance to truly start, that was us. We were exhausted, overwhelmed, and facing the very real possibility of failure. Weeks of sleepless nights followed, filled with quiet prayers in the early hours of autumn mornings while the rest of the household slept. Meeting Arlene truly felt like an answer to those prayers. It was our final throw of the dice, Arlene’s intervention or complete failure and the loss of tens of thousands of pounds.
My sister and I went into care because we felt it was a calling, a chance to give back to Scotland and, hopefully one day, to the wider UK. What we had, however, was little more than a registered business and an empty shell. Arlene stepped in and transformed that shell into a fully functioning, compliant, and operational business ready for take-off.
She was nothing short of a taskmaster in the best possible sense. From putting fundamental policies, insurance, and regulations firmly in place, to recruitment, operational structure, and ultimately securing contracts across both the private and public sectors, Arlene guided us through every stage with precision and unwavering standards.
Words can hardly express the impact she has had on our lives and our business. She raised our expectations, sharpened our focus, and pushed us to raise our game. With Arlene, you either keep up or you fall behind. That drive, discipline, and commitment to excellence is exactly what turned our vision into reality.
We will always be grateful for her leadership, her belief in us, and the foundation she helped us build.
Samina Iqbal, Director, 247 Alba Care