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A care home company has been fined GB pound 80,000 and ordered to pay costs of GB pound 20,00 under fire safety legislation following a boiler room fire last
January at one of its homes.
Last September, Southern Cross Healthcare Ltd, owner of Norfolk House
in Weybridge – one of around 720 care homes the company owns around the
country – pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Regulatory Reform
(Fire Safety) Order at Staines Magistrates Court, but the magistrates
referred the case to Guildford Crown Court for sentencing last month.
The investigation by Surrey fire officers revealed the fire started as
a result of accumulated general rubbish and storage in the boiler room.
They also found that staff were not instructed in the findings of the
fire risk assessment, which had identified the boiler room as a high
risk area and one that should not be used as a storage area. In
addition, the care home did not have an adequate system for
implementing and reviewing the fire safety arrangements on the
premises, so placing the people who were in their care and their staff
at increased risk.
“This case clearly demonstrates how our fire safety officers are
successfully inspecting relevant buildings and applying the law to help
ensure the safety of our community,” said Gavin Watts, Surrey’s
assistant chief fire officer. “Surrey Fire and Rescue Service works
closely with businesses to help them with their compliance duties under
the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, but where their
responsibilities are not taken seriously, the service will absolutely
consider prosecution – particularly in cases such as this when
vulnerable people may be affected by a company’s shortfalls”.
A spokesman for Norfolk House said: “We are carefully studying the
determination of the court and what lessons can be learned for the
future. This was an isolated and regrettable breach of safety
procedures.”