Petition started in bid to save Burman House Residential Home in Terrington St John from closing

More than 700 people have backed a petition created to stop the closure of a West Norfolk care home.

Last week, it was announced that Burman House Residential Home in Terrington St John will close in six weeks.

One member of staff raised their concerns about the home, which has a total of 30 bedrooms, closing, saying that some of its residents “wouldn’t survive” the move.

Now, another worker has set up an online petition which has attracted more than 700 people to sign it.

The petition is urging Norse Care, who run the home, to keep it open.

The worker said: “It is heart-wrenching to know that those who call this place home are facing an uncertain future due to the planned closure.

“Our residents have built their comfort, familiarity, and sense of community within these walls, and do not deserve to have their lives disrupted in such a manner.”

Norse have said that Burman House will be closing in early December due to the “evolving needs of its residents”.

Staff were told last week that the home will be closing in just six weeks.

A member of staff who wishes to remain anonymous said that a number of residents at the home are “upset” by the news and want to stay.

They said: “It is disgusting what they have done to these people. We have got very upset residents that don’t want to leave, but they don’t have a say.”

Staff working at the home have been given the choice of taking redundancy or moving to work at another care home owned by Norse.

“Staff have lost respect for Norse because of this situation,” the Burman House worker added.

“But this is not about the staff, this is about the residents.

“Their families are devastated. They will not survive this move. We are a dementia home.

“It is so upsetting, a lot of residents do not have a family, so we are their family.”

Norse has said that the wellbeing of its residents remains its “top priority”.

The company said the main reason for its closure is due to the “growing complexity” of care required by its residents and that current room sizes are inadequate for delivering complex care.

Jo Huxtable, senior director of Norse Care, said: “We are saddened to close Burman House, but the wellbeing of our residents is our top priority.

“The building is no longer suitable for delivering the level of care required.

“We are working closely with residents and their families to ensure everyone finds a new home that meets their needs. We will work tirelessly to make sure all those at Burman House are relocated and settled within their new homes before Christmas.

“We understand how difficult this news is for our dedicated Burman House team. We are committed to supporting them during this transition and aim to redeploy as many staff as possible to other homes within our organisation.”