Latest news with #NorseCare
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Norfolk County Council's care home plan 'complete shambles'
A council will struggle to find providers to take over its care homes, an opposition leader has Norfolk County Council has said it was looking for other parties to run 17 homes currently managed by the private company it owns, Norse Labour's Steve Morphew said the situation was "a complete shambles" and accused both the council and Norse of failing to properly invest in the council said three of the sites run by Norse had "received significant investment", but more was needed to modernise other homes. The authority said it was "seeking to secure investment to support the transformation of its care estate in Norfolk to meet residents' needs both now and in the future". A report for the council's cabinet said, with Norse's contract coming to an end next March, the authority had begun testing the waters with other report said the level of interest was "very positive" with some parties looking at taking on all the homes, and others only some. But Morphew repeated previous concerns raised over a lack of investment in the homes and said "nobody is going to want to take over the whole of that contract all at once"."It will be broken up – some of it will be sold off. "The residential care provision from the county council as we've known it for decades will come to an end, there will be a fire sale to get rid of the liabilities,""It's a thoroughgoing mess, a complete shambles," he Leader Andrew Jamieson said three homes had been modernised since the Norse contract began in 2011, but further work was stalled by the Covid said interest rate increases after that made borrowing to fund improvements too expensive, but deals with new providers could lead to investment."We must keep pace with Norfolk's increasingly complex care needs and the expiry of this contract in March 2026 gives us a fresh opportunity to look at how we do that," he council said it was also looking for other providers to take over Norse's contract for housing with care services – which ends next March – and its contract for independent living services, which ends in October 2027.A spokeswoman for Norse Care said the firm had been investing in the modernisation and safety requirements of its homes."Over £20 million has been invested in the development of two new care homes and major refurbishment work on two further homes," she added. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
10-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Norfolk council owned care home is fourth to close in a year
A publicly-owned care company is due to close its fourth residential home in the space of about a will cease at Linden Court in Watton, Norfolk, in other homes run by Norse Care, which is owned by the county council, closed in September and December, and a third closed in Bungay, Suffolk, in January Care said changes to fire regulations, rising social care costs and the need for "substantial investment" meant Linden Court could no longer provide suitable care. According to a Care Quality Commission report published in 2019, Linden Court cares for up to 50 people aged 65 and director of care at the company, Jo Huxtable, said it aimed to relocate and settle all the residents in the next few months, and was "committed" to providing staff with "support and opportunities"."Closing the home is a deeply difficult decision, but the well-being and safety of our residents remain our highest priority," she added."We are working closely with residents and their families to ensure everyone finds a new home that meets their needs." 'Minimise disruption' The company runs 32 homes in Norfolk and is the largest care provider in the Thomas said the local authority would assess future uses for the site once the handover had been completed, with the potential for Linden Court to become independent living Thomas, the Conservative cabinet member for adult social services, said: "We understand Norse Care's decision to close Linden Court, based on a wide range of factors, and will work closely with them and everyone involved to minimise any disruption for those involved." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
