- Care home
La Fontana
Assessment report published 8 June 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
La Fontana is a care home providing personal and nursing care and accommodation for up to 76 people. The service specialises in support for older people living with dementia. At the time of our assessment there were 53 people using the service. We visited the home on 13 May 2026 and 21 May 2026.
This was a planned comprehensive assessment during a period of significant organisational change and improvement. People and relatives told us people felt safe and staff treated them with kindness and respect. Staff understood safeguarding processes and knew how to recognise and report concerns, and risk assessments were in place to support people’s safety.
Some relatives raised minor concerns and the impact of recent changes in ownership and management. These were escalated and responded to immediately by the management team during the assessment.
We observed a calm, relaxed atmosphere, where people were supported by sufficient staff to meet their needs. Staff interactions were warm, patient and person-centred, and relatives were very complimentary about care staff.
People’s needs were assessed prior to admission; care plans had been rewritten in early 2026 with further work planned to improve how personalised they were.
People were supported with eating and drinking, and there were positive comments about improvements to meals and mealtime experiences.
The environment required improvement, including infection prevention and dementia-friendly design; improvement actions were taken or brought forward during the assessment.
Leadership and governance had significantly improved under the new provider, with improved quality assurance processes, learning culture and staff morale, although some relatives remained unsettled by ongoing change.
Overall, the service was on a clear improvement journey, with the management team demonstrating openness, honesty and commitment to embedding and sustaining positive change.
People's experience of this service
People’s experiences of living at La Fontana were positive. Relatives told us they were confident their family members were cared for by kind and attentive staff, although some relatives said they had been unsettled following recent changes in ownership and management.
People and relatives consistently told us staff were caring and had a good rapport with people. Several relatives spoke positively about staff responsiveness and their day-to-day interactions with people. One relative told us staff had a “Good rapport and [were] meeting mum’s needs.”
People’s relatives said staff were approachable and caring. Relatives felt staff knew people well and treated them with dignity, patience and respect. One relative said staff were “Very good with [name]” and described how staff had developed particularly positive relationships that helped reduce people’s levels of distress.
Relatives told us communication had improved, particularly with the current management team, and said concerns were listened to and responded to. One relative described the acting manager as “A gem, with patience never ending” and praised how quickly their concerns had been acted upon. Where relatives had described frustrations with communication which had caused anxiety, these had been acted upon immediately by the management team.
Overall, people experienced warm and compassionate care, with many relatives positive about care staff. It was clear changes within the service had affected some relative’s confidence, but work was continuing to rebuild trust and provide reassurance for people and their families.