A care home for people with severe autism is set to close down, leaving some residents facing the prospect of having to move for the first time in 20 years.

Autism Anglia, the charity which runs Lambert House in Bowthorpe, has announced it will soon be shutting the property, citing difficulties with recruiting senior staff as the main reason.

The closure highlights the acute problems facing the local care sector, which is struggling to cope with chronic recruitment problems and has suffered from the closure of other homes in the region.

Norfolk currently ranks sixth bottom among 151 local authorities for its percentage (70.9pc) of care providers rated good or outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The impending closure leaves the 11 residents of Lambert House and their families - some of whom have lived there for more than 20 years - scrambling to find alternative placements.

It also comes after concerns were raised about how the home was run by the CQC during an inspection held in September.

Kate Hancock, chief executive of Autism Anglia, said: "We have taken the incredibly difficult decision to permanently close Lambert House as we are unable to manage the service fully due to a lack of suitably trained and experienced staff.

"The people we support at this site are autistic with complex needs and their safety, dignity and wellbeing is of paramount importance.

"We have spoken with and apologised to the families of the 11 adult residents of Lambert House."

A family member of one of the home's residents, who did not wish to be identified, has criticised the decision and the impact it will have on their relative.

They said: "The first we knew about this was a phone call from social services asking if we knew of anywhere he could be put up temporarily.

"This has meant people having to rearrange annual leave to care for their loved ones and a very unsettling situation for them as a whole.

"The residents are severely autistic and routine is such an important thing for them.

"Some have lived there for more than 20 years."

For the past two weeks, the resident has been staying with different family members - a week with one relative and a week with another.

The family member added: "Although he cannot talk, we can tell he is very distressed because he does not have his ordinary routine."

Meanwhile, Ms Hancock confirmed that members of staff at the home had been informed of the closure.

She added: "We do not yet have a date for closure and are working with the relevant authorities to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone.

"We are also liaising with our remaining staff about their employment situation.

"Where possible, we hope to relocate colleagues to other roles within our organisation.

"Despite our best efforts to recruit, we have been unable to hire skilled support workers or agency staff with the appropriate qualifications.

"This is a widespread and well-documented issue across the care sector.

"We are proud that the services we provide as a charity across East Anglia are rated as good or outstanding and we are deeply disappointed that we have been unable to deliver the same quality service at Lambert House."

A spokesperson for Norfolk and Waveney health and social care, which coordinates placements for vulnerable people in the region, said: "We have been notified by Autism Anglia that they intend to close Lambert House.

"We understand how unsettling this will be for the people that are living there.

"Our health and social care teams are working quickly and closely with the residents and their families to find suitable alternative placements that best meet their needs."

Prior to the latest CQC visit, Lambert House was rated good in all areas during an inspection in 2019.

During this inspection, the home was praised for having knowledgeable staff who protected residents from harm.

The findings of the latest inspection are yet to be released, but it is understood Autism Anglia - which also runs two homes in Dereham and two in Colchester - was given six months to address concerns raised.

A spokesman for the CQC confirmed the regulator had been made aware of the site's intention to close.

He said: "The inspection findings are subject to a quality assurance process, so we cannot provide detail at this stage.

"Once this is completed, the findings will be published."



'SHORTFALLS IN SEVERAL AREAS'

The closure of Lambert House comes after an audit into the home carried out by local authorities identified "shortcomings in several areas".

Tim Weller, head of Norfolk County Council's integrated quality service, said: "We have been working closely with Autism Anglia to identify and address a number of areas where the organisation needed to significantly improve the quality of care and service for their residents at Lambert House.

"This follows an audit we carried out at the care home in April this year which identified shortfalls in several areas, including leadership, start training and the condition of the premises.

"Now that Autism Anglia has taken the decision to close, our first priority is the residents affected by this decision and their families.

"Our social work teams are actively arranging appropriate alternative accommodation."