Residents moved out of 'unsafe' dementia care home

Residents have been moved out of a care home which has been closed after it was placed in special measures and rated inadequate for a third time by the health watchdog.

Sterling House, on Thorpe Road in Norwich, was inspected on 10 February as a follow up from concerns and actions raised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after checks in August and October last year.

Again, the watchdog identified seven breaches of legal regulations and rated the home inadequate in all areas.

Since the inspection, Kelly Devenish from Sterling House said residents had now been relocated and the service was no longer operating as a care home.

At the time of the assessment, there was 15 people living at Sterling House in self-contained flats, most of whom had dementia.

While residents and their relatives were generally happy with the care, it did not meet people's assessed needs and inspectors found "significant and widespread shortfalls relating to the safety and security of the building" which had not been "acted upon in a timely way".

People were observed sitting alone or facing a wall and had extended periods with little interaction or stimulation, the CQC found.

Relatives also felt overnight staffing levels were too low, which the CQC said matched its findings during assessment.

On 4 September 2025, the CQC served a notice of decision for failing to meet the regulations related to safe care, premises and equipment, which restricted the home to further admissions.

At the latest inspection, it found "continued breaches" relating to safe care and treatment, safeguarding and staffing.

The CQC said this was the third inspection where it found people were placed at risk by the provider "failing to identify and address breaches of regulatory requirements".

It said: "The provider had not learnt from our previous assessments, and had not made sufficient improvements to the safety and governance of the service. This lack of managerial oversight had impacted on the quality of care provided."

Where audits were completed, "significant shortfalls" in quality were identified and failed to identify widespread and serious concerns.

The service has been placed in special measures, which means the CQC will provide the home with a framework in response to inadequate care and allocate time in which the quality of care must be improved.

The home has since closed and Devenish said residents had been relocated in co-ordination with families, Norfolk County Council and healthcare professionals.

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