Fountains Court

What families say

Visitors often mention feeling welcomed when they arrive, with the general atmosphere described as pleasant and conducive to wellbeing. Families report that the physical space itself contributes to residents feeling settled, with thoughtful touches that help people maintain their independence where possible.

Based on 11 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality68
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership74
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2018-08-02 · Report published 2018-08-02 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the inspection carried out on 26 March 2025. This indicates inspectors were satisfied with safety arrangements at the home, including staffing, medicines management, and safeguarding. The published text does not provide specific observations, ratios, or examples to explain what was found. No concerns or breaches were recorded in the available information.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating is reassuring, but it tells you the direction rather than the detail. Our Good Practice evidence base highlights that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes, and agency reliance can undermine the consistency that people with dementia particularly need. Because the inspection text does not specify staffing ratios or night cover for this 43-bed home, you need to ask those questions yourself. The cleanliness theme accounts for 24.3% of positive family reviews nationally, so also walk the unit on your visit and note whether it smells fresh and looks well maintained.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that night staffing levels and agency staff consistency are among the strongest predictors of safety outcomes in dementia care homes. A Good rating does not confirm these are strong here, only that inspectors were satisfied at the point of visit.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency workers, especially on nights, for a 43-bed home with a dementia specialism."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection. This covers training, care planning, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well staff translate knowledge into practice. The available published text does not include specific detail on what inspectors observed or reviewed. No concerns were recorded.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in dementia care depends heavily on whether care plans are genuine living documents that capture your parent's personal history, preferences, and communication style, not just medical checklists. Our Good Practice evidence found that regular, family-inclusive care plan reviews are one of the clearest markers of a home that adapts as someone's needs change. Food quality accounts for 20.9% of positive family reviews nationally, so mealtimes are worth observing directly. The Good rating here is positive, but with no specific evidence available you should ask to see how care plans are structured and how recently your parent's would be reviewed.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review identified that dementia-specific training, including non-verbal communication and behaviour as communication, has a measurable positive impact on resident wellbeing. Ask what training all care staff have completed and when it was last updated.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often care plans are formally reviewed and whether families are invited to those reviews. Then ask to see a blank care plan template so you can judge whether it captures personal history and individual preferences, or whether it is primarily a medical document."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection. This is the domain most directly concerned with how staff treat the people who live here: whether they are warm, unhurried, respectful of dignity, and responsive to individual needs. No specific inspector observations, resident quotes, or relative feedback are available in the published text for this home.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, cited in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. When inspectors rate Caring as Good, it means they were satisfied, but without direct observations or quotes it is impossible to know whether they saw genuinely warm, unhurried interactions or met the threshold by a narrower margin. On your visit, stand in a corridor for ten minutes and notice whether staff make eye contact with residents as they pass, use their preferred names, and move without urgency. These small, observable behaviours are the most reliable signal of a genuinely caring culture.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence base confirms that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction in dementia care. Staff who crouch to eye level, use calm touch, and respond to facial expressions before words are demonstrating the kind of person-led care associated with better wellbeing outcomes.","watch_out":"During your visit, ask a member of staff what your parent's preferred name is (if you have shared that information in advance) and notice whether the answer is immediate. Then watch whether staff knock before entering any room and whether they explain what they are about to do before starting any task."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection. This domain covers whether the home offers meaningful activities, responds to individual preferences, supports independence, and plans appropriately for end of life. No specific examples of activities, activity schedules, or individual engagement are available in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Resident happiness accounts for 27.1% of positive family reviews nationally, and activities engagement accounts for 21.4%. In dementia care specifically, the Good Practice evidence is clear that group activities alone are not sufficient: people who cannot engage in groups, or who are in later stages of dementia, need one-to-one engagement built into daily routines. A Good rating here is encouraging, but without seeing the actual activity programme or hearing from residents it is difficult to know whether activities are genuinely tailored or follow a standard weekly template. Ask to see last month's activity log and check whether weekend provision matches weekday provision.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household tasks (folding, sorting, simple food preparation) are among the most effective engagement tools for people with dementia, particularly where verbal communication is limited. Ask whether the home uses any of these approaches.","watch_out":"Ask what happens for a resident who is too unsettled or unwell to join a group session on a given day. A specific, confident answer about one-to-one activities is a good sign. A vague answer about staff sitting with residents is worth probing further."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the March 2025 inspection. Mrs Lucy Ann Milburn is the registered manager and Mr Gabriel Ackermann is the nominated individual for the provider, Maven Healthcare (Fountains) Limited. A named registered manager in post is a basic but important governance marker. No further detail about management visibility, staff culture, or governance processes is available in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management quality accounts for 23.4% of positive family reviews, and communication with families accounts for a further 11.5%. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of care quality over time: homes where the manager is known to staff and residents by name, and where staff feel able to raise concerns, consistently outperform those where management is distant or frequently changing. You have a named manager here, which is a good starting point. On your visit, note whether the manager is visible on the floor or only accessible through reception, and ask how long they have been in post.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that bottom-up empowerment, where care staff feel confident to raise concerns and suggest improvements, is a consistent marker of well-led homes. Ask the manager how they find out about concerns raised by care staff on night shifts.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how long they have been in post at Fountains Court and whether there have been significant changes to the senior care team in the past 12 months. High turnover in leadership or senior staff during a period of occupancy growth is a risk factor worth understanding before you commit."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The home provides specialist dementia care as well as general residential care for people over 65.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the home's emphasis on creating supportive environments and maintaining routines appears particularly relevant. The focus on helping residents maintain independence while ensuring proper support suggests an understanding of dementia's specific challenges. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.