Norwich dementia care home fails first CQC inspection after £2.7m refurb

NorseCare apologised to residents following the CQC report

A dementia care home which reopened this year after a £2.7m refurbishment put its residents at risk of harm, inspectors found.

Mountfield in Norwich, a residential home which supports 21 people aged over 65, was reopened in January 2020 by operator NorseCare.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) put the home into special measures after highlighting safety failings.

NorseCare apologised and said it had acted immediately on the issues raised.

Fire check concerns

The CQC carried out an unannounced inspection at the Chamberlin Road home, which specialises in caring for people with dementia, in October.

It said residents were put at risk because regular required fire safety checks had not been carried out and "staff were not confident on what measures to take in response to a fire".

The inspectors also found ground-floor windows leading out to the car park were unsecured and a garden gate leading to a public road was not locked.

NorseCare said it was "unacceptable to us" that standards "were not at the high levels we demand in our care homes" during the inspection.

A spokesman said: "We took immediate action on the most urgent concerns raised and, over the past three months, we have addressed the majority of other issues.

"In addition, we have a robust action plan to complete any outstanding improvements."

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