£1,400-a-week care home rated inadequate by CQC
Kingsley Healthcare GroupA care home in Norfolk promising "elegant luxury living" has been rated as inadequate after its first inspection.
Kings Court Care Home in Holt - where room fees start at £1,400 per week - has been placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following the visit in July.
Inspectors criticised the leadership, the reliance on agency staff and the consistency of care.
A spokesperson for its operator, Kingsley Healthcare Group (KHG), said staffing changes had been made and that it "apologises unreservedly to residents and families for the shortfalls identified".
The site is a 66-bed residential and nursing care home for older people, including people living with dementia.
It was opened in January 2026.
In the report, inspectors said they found staff on the front line were "kind and caring" but that low staffing levels were impacting standards.
They heard residents sometimes waited for extended periods for personal support including toileting, because of a lack of staff.
In one incident an eight-minute delay was observed between a call for help and staff being able to assist them.
Hazel Roberts, the CQC's deputy director of adult social care for the East of England, said: "Despite relatives raising concerns about staffing levels and people's quality of care, they felt little had changed.
"Staff also described challenges in raising concerns and seeing positive change."
The CQC said it would closely monitor the service. The watchdog has the power to cancel its registration and ultimately stop it from operating.
But Roberts said some improvements had been noted since a new manager was appointed.
Staff changes and new management
KHG operations director for the east, Shane Collier, said: "We recognise the seriousness of the findings at Kings Court and accept that the standards identified in the report were not where they needed to be."
Collier confirmed that a new home manager was in place and the reliance on agency staff reduced.
He added: "Our focus now is on ensuring those improvements are embedded in day-to-day practice and are reflected in the experience of residents and their families."
Age UK estimates that the average weekly cost of a care home in the UK is £1,100, but fees vary depending on location and care needs.
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