La Fontana

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved into La Fontana, which helped staff understand their needs and preferences from the outset. Assessments contained information about people's care and nursing needs, care preferences, any religious or cultural beliefs and their personal relationships.

All care plans had been rewritten in early 2026, and there were plans to further improve how detailed and personalised they were. Formal care reviews with people and their relatives were planned for June and July 2026 to support this work.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s needs and were responsive to any changes in people’s care or nursing needs.

Relatives told us they were involved in care planning and received updates when changes occurred. One family member said staff were “Good at notifying us of anything that happens” and confirmed they were involved in updates to the care plan.

The provider did not always make sure people received care and treatment that was consistently in line with evidence‑based guidance and best practice.

Staff understood each person's care needs and were responsive to people. However, improvements were needed in relation to providing high quality care for people living with dementia. Most people in the home were living with dementia, so this was a very important issue. The provider had already identified improvements were needed and these were being discussed prior to being implemented. There were plans to make the environment more ‘dementia friendly’, have objects of meaning to people which they could handle or pick up and introduce certain therapies known to benefit people living with dementia.

There was a wealth of knowledge and diverse experience within the home's nursing team. Staff also worked closely with other health and care professionals to ensure people received safe and effective care and good practice guidelines were followed.

There were many positive comments about meals and mealtime experience and how they had improved since the new provider had been involved. People chose what they wanted to eat and drink. One person told us, “The food is nice and you do get a choice. They bring the menu round, and they show you the options. They have pictures of the options available and then I can choose what I would like. All of the food has been very nice.” Mealtimes were relaxed and calm. People could choose where to eat their meals. Some people ate in the main dining areas and others in the recently introduced smaller, quieter dining areas.

People who needed support or encouragement with eating and drinking were supported in a safe and effective way by staff. People had drinks throughout the day, and various snacks and cakes were served with drinks at set times.

The provider made sure staff, teams and services worked together to deliver coordinated care and support.

Staff worked collaboratively with GPs and other health and care professionals to ensure people’s needs were met and care was coordinated. There was a very knowledgeable in-house nursing team, and staff understood who to contact when people needed additional or urgent support.

Relatives described improving communication and responsiveness from the current management team. One family member told us the interim manager was “responsive”, and this was a “marked improvement.”

We found staff morale, teamwork and communication had improved significantly in recent months, which supported continuity of care and effective information sharing. One staff member said, “Communication has improved and all of the professionals who work with us have commented on the improvements here. The GP visits every week, and we also have the intensive dementia team who support us. We work very closely with this team, and they provide great support including out of hours cover."

The provider supported people to live healthier lives by helping them maintain their health, wellbeing and independence.

People were supported with meals, snacks and drinks, and staff provided encouragement and assistance where needed to reduce the risk of malnutrition and dehydration. One person said, “I called them [staff] last night about 4am [using my call bell] as I wanted a cup of tea as I was thirsty. They [staff] came and brought me a cup of tea which was nice of them.”

Staff said they supported and encouraged people to be as independent and mobile as possible. People had varying levels of needs and abilities. Observations showed staff ensured people were not restricted, and people were free to move around the home as they wished. Relatives told us staff encouraged people to use their mobility aids and staff were attentive to skin care and other comfort needs. One family member said staff were “Very good with [name]” and proactive in preventing any damage to their family member’s skin.

We saw people were supported in a calm environment, with plans in place to further improve activities to promote people’s health and wellbeing.

The provider monitored people’s outcomes and used learning to make improvements to care and support.

The home was on a clear improvement journey, supported by a detailed service improvement plan. Managers had strengthened quality assurance processes, including audits, observations and reviews, and records showed action was taken when issues were identified.

Relatives confirmed that any concerns they may have were taken seriously and responded to. Adjustments were made when people’s needs changed, including relocating people within the home to better meet their needs. One relative said when their family member first moved in, they were in an area of the home “That was too much for them and had caused some problems. They [managers and staff] were understanding and [name] moved to a different part of the residence which had made things a lot better.”

This meant an improved learning culture was evident, with lessons used to identify and embed good practice and support ongoing improvement in people’s experiences and outcomes.

The management team told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

People and relatives said people’s rights were respected and staff always sought consent before providing any care. We saw staff asked people if they needed care and often used gentle encouragement if this was needed. Staff never forced people to do things they did not wish to do. One staff member said, “We ask people first. No one is mistreated here and people can spend time as they wish to and do the things they want to do. It’s their choice.”

There were systems in place to ensure people consented to their care, if they had capacity to do so, and to ensure the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were followed when people lacked capacity to make decisions about their care. Details of others involved in people's care, who could support with decision making or advocate on their behalf, were included in people’s care records. Records showed the right people were consulted when a decision needed to be made for an individual who lacked capacity to make the decision themselves.