La Fontana Care Home
At a Glance
The information you need to decide whether this home warrants a closer look.
Nursing homes
Staff warmth score
of reviewers answered yes
Good to know
- Registered beds76
- SpecialismsCaring for adults over 65 yrs, Caring for adults under 65 yrs, Caring for people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act, Dementia, Mental health conditions, Physical disabilities
- Last inspected2022-10-29
- Activities programmeMealtimes bring proper choice, with food that residents look forward to rather than just tolerate. The building itself offers modern private rooms, while outside spaces give everyone somewhere secure to enjoy fresh air when the weather allows.
- Visit Website
The Evidence
What the review data, the inspection reports, and the dementia-care evidence base tell us about this home.
What families say
Families describe finding their relatives settled into routines here, joining in with organised activities and trips out. The atmosphere feels purposeful, with residents staying engaged through the variety of things to do each day.
Based on 10 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10
The eight family priority themes
- Staff warmth55
- Compassion & dignity55
- Cleanliness55
- Activities & engagement50
- Food quality50
- Healthcare55
- Management & leadership60
- Resident happiness55
What inspectors found
Inspected 2022-10-29 · Report published 2022-10-29 · Inspected 7 times in the last three years
Is this home safe?
{"found":"La Fontana was rated Good for safety at the October 2022 inspection. The home is a nursing home, meaning registered nurses must be on duty at all times. The published report does not include specific detail on staffing ratios, falls management, medicines administration, or agency staff usage. The home's previous Requires Improvement rating means safety was identified as a concern in the past, and the improvement to Good is a positive marker.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good safety rating after a period of Requires Improvement is genuinely encouraging, but it tells you the direction of travel rather than the detail of daily practice. Good Practice research consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in care homes: lower ratios and higher agency use after dark are where risks concentrate. With 76 beds and a complex resident mix including people under the Mental Health Act, knowing exactly who is on duty overnight matters. The published findings do not answer that question, so you will need to ask directly.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance and reduced overnight staffing are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in care homes. A Good rating does not automatically mean these risks are absent.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not the planned template. Count how many permanent staff versus agency staff covered night shifts, and confirm whether a registered nurse was present on every overnight shift."}
Is the care effective?
{"found":"La Fontana was rated Good for effectiveness at the October 2022 inspection. As a nursing home registered for dementia and mental health conditions, effective practice should include detailed care planning, regular GP and specialist access, and dementia-specific training for all staff. The published report does not contain specific observations on any of these areas, so it is not possible to confirm the quality or frequency of care plan reviews, the content of dementia training, or how well nutritional needs are met.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in dementia care is largely invisible on a single visit. Good Practice research identifies care plans as living documents that should be updated at least monthly and whenever your parent's condition changes, with family involvement built in as standard. Dementia-specific training matters too: staff who understand how dementia affects communication and behaviour provide measurably better care than those with only general health training. The inspection did not record what training staff here have completed, so this is an important question to ask before deciding.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that structured, regularly reviewed care plans co-produced with families are associated with better outcomes for people living with dementia, including reduced use of antipsychotic medication and fewer avoidable hospital admissions.","watch_out":"Ask the home how often care plans are reviewed, whether families are invited to take part, and what specific dementia training every member of the care team has completed in the last 12 months. Ask whether any staff hold a formal dementia qualification such as the Dementia Care Mapping practitioner qualification or equivalent."}
Is this home caring?
{"found":"La Fontana was rated Good for caring at the October 2022 inspection. The published report does not include direct inspector observations of staff interactions, resident quotes about how they feel treated, or specific examples of dignity and respect in practice. The Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied, but the evidence base behind it is not visible in the published text.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity follow closely at 55.2%. Families consistently describe the moment they know a home is right as when they see a staff member speak to their parent by their preferred name without being prompted, or pause to listen rather than hurry past. The inspection confirms caring was Good but does not give you those specific observable signals. When you visit, watch how staff interact with residents in corridors and communal spaces when they do not know you are observing.","evidence_base":"Good Practice research from the IFF and Leeds Beckett review emphasises that non-verbal communication, tone, eye contact, and unhurried body language, matters as much as spoken words for people living with dementia, particularly as verbal communication becomes more difficult.","watch_out":"When you visit, ask a member of staff what your parent's preferred name is and notice whether they know it without checking a file. Watch what happens when a resident appears unsettled or calls out: does a staff member respond promptly and calmly, or is the moment ignored?"}
Is the home responsive?
{"found":"La Fontana was rated Good for responsiveness at the October 2022 inspection. The home is registered for dementia, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities, which means responsive practice should include tailored activities, individualised care, and appropriate end-of-life planning. The published report contains no specific observations about the activity programme, one-to-one engagement, or how individual preferences are identified and acted on.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Responsiveness is where the difference between a good home and a genuinely good home for your parent becomes visible day to day. Our review data shows that resident happiness and engagement appear in 27.1% of positive family reviews, with activities mentioned specifically in 21.4%. Good Practice research is clear that group activities alone are not enough, particularly for people in the later stages of dementia who cannot easily participate in organised sessions. Individual, person-led engagement, including familiar household tasks and one-to-one time, produces measurably better wellbeing outcomes. The inspection did not record what La Fontana does in this space, so it is worth asking directly.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches, including familiar everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, and simple cooking, significantly reduce agitation and improve mood in people living with dementia compared with standard group activity programmes.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activity records for the last four weeks, not just the planned timetable. Ask specifically what would happen on a day when your parent did not want to join a group session, and who would provide one-to-one time and how that is recorded."}
Is the home well-led?
{"found":"La Fontana was rated Good for leadership at the October 2022 inspection, run by N. Notaro Homes Limited with Christopher David Ridgard named as the nominated individual. The improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating across all five domains suggests the leadership team has addressed whatever concerns were identified previously. The published report does not include specific observations about the manager's visibility, staff culture, or governance systems.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality trajectory in care homes, according to Good Practice research. A home that has moved from Requires Improvement to Good across all domains has demonstrated it can identify problems and act on them, which is a meaningful signal. Our review data shows that management and communication with families appear in 23.4% and 11.5% of positive reviews respectively. What families value most is a manager they can reach easily, who follows up when something goes wrong, and who supports staff to speak up. The inspection confirms Good leadership but does not show you what that looks like in practice.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett review found that leadership stability and a culture where staff can raise concerns without fear are among the strongest predictors of sustained quality improvement in care homes, and that homes which improve from Requires Improvement are more likely to maintain Good ratings when the registered manager remains in post.","watch_out":"Ask how long the current registered manager has been in post and whether they are on site most days. Ask what happened the last time a family raised a concern: who they spoke to, how quickly they received a response, and what changed as a result."}
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 cares for adults both under and over 65, including those with dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. They're also registered to support people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act.. Gaps or open questions remain on For those living with dementia, the secure environment means residents can move around safely while staff maintain the structure and routine that helps people feel grounded. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.
The DCC Verdict
Our editorial view, built from the three lenses: what families tell us, what inspectors record, and how the home sits against good dementia-care practice.
DCC Family Score
La Fontana achieved a Good rating across all five domains at its October 2022 inspection, improving from a previous Requires Improvement. However, the published report text provides very limited specific detail, so scores reflect that improvement and the Good rating rather than richly evidenced observations.
Homes in South West typically score 68–82.The three-lens summary
What families tell us
Families describe finding their relatives settled into routines here, joining in with organised activities and trips out. The atmosphere feels purposeful, with residents staying engaged through the variety of things to do each day.
What inspectors have recorded
Most interactions with staff come across as warm and professional, though experiences can vary across the team. One family faced real distress when personal belongings weren't handled properly after their relative passed away, which raises questions about procedures at such sensitive times.
How it sits against good practice
It's worth visiting to see how the activities programme works and to get a sense of the staff team for yourself.
Worth a visit
La Fontana, on Fold Hill Lane in Martock, was rated Good across all five inspection domains at its most recent inspection in October 2022. Crucially, this represents an improvement from a previous Requires Improvement rating, which suggests the home has made genuine progress in the way it operates. As a 76-bed nursing home registered for dementia, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and care under the Mental Health Act, it covers a wide range of complex needs. The main limitation for families is that the published inspection findings contain very limited specific detail: there are no direct observations of care, no resident or relative quotes, and no specific evidence about staffing levels, activities, food, or the dementia environment. This means the Good rating is confirmed but the texture behind it is not. Before making a decision, visit the home at a mealtime if possible, ask to see last month's staffing rota (including overnight shifts and agency use), and ask how the home specifically supports someone at your parent's stage of dementia.
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In Their Own Words
How La Fontana Care Home describes itself — collected from its own website. DCC has not edited or independently verified the content in this tab.
Where residents find comfort through activities and connection in Somerset
Dedicated nursing home Support in Martock
La Fontana in Martock brings a thoughtful approach to specialist care, creating structured days filled with activities and social moments. This Somerset home supports people with dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities, offering secure spaces where residents can move between quiet corners and busier communal areas.
Who they care for
The home cares for adults both under and over 65, including those with dementia, mental health conditions and physical disabilities. They're also registered to support people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act.
For those living with dementia, the secure environment means residents can move around safely while staff maintain the structure and routine that helps people feel grounded.
Management & ethos
Most interactions with staff come across as warm and professional, though experiences can vary across the team. One family faced real distress when personal belongings weren't handled properly after their relative passed away, which raises questions about procedures at such sensitive times.
The home & environment
Mealtimes bring proper choice, with food that residents look forward to rather than just tolerate. The building itself offers modern private rooms, while outside spaces give everyone somewhere secure to enjoy fresh air when the weather allows.
“It's worth visiting to see how the activities programme works and to get a sense of the staff team for yourself.”
DCC does not edit or curate content in this tab. For independently curated information, see The Evidence and DCC Verdict.
