The Shires

Bacton Road, North Walsham, Norfolk, NR28 0RA

01692402875

Care Type

Residential Care

Inspection date

20 March 2019

Provider

Independence with Care Ltd

Beds

7 beds

Rating history

GoodJul 2016
GoodApr 2019

Rated Good at every inspection since 2016.

Source: CQC inspection reports. Contains CQC data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Costs and who runs this home

Run by Independence with Care Ltd, which runs 2 care homes in England: 1 rated Good and 1 Requires Improvement.

Average care home fees in the East of England: £1,034 a week for residential care and £1,411 for nursing care (2024-25 averages). Self-funders usually pay more. See our care home costs guide.

How to pay for a care home explains the council means test, what counts as capital and the funding you can ask to be assessed for.

About The Shires

The Shires is a residential care home in Norfolk, providing support for people with learning difficulties. Full details of the most recent CQC findings are set out below.

This service provides accommodation for up to seven people with learning difficulties, offering support with personal care as needed. Staff understand how to protect residents from harm, with risks to health and wellbeing carefully assessed and managed. The home maintains adequate staffing levels to keep people safe, and medicines are well managed.

Staff demonstrate strong infection control practices and the service has systems in place to learn from any mistakes through detailed analysis.

Source: CQC inspection report, 26 April 2019

Specialist Care

Learning disabilitiesOlder peopleYounger adults

Fees and availability

We have not verified a current weekly fee for this home. Ask for a written quote based on the room and care needed, including any extra charges.

Check current vacancies, the admission assessment and visiting arrangements directly with the home.

Care and inspection details

Checked against the CQC register on 21 September 2026. This is a check of published information, not a visit to the home.

Registered service: Care home service without nursing
Registered capacity: 7 places — this is not a vacancy count
Registration checked: Registered · NR28 0RA

Registered care categories

Caring for adults over 65 yrs; Caring for adults under 65 yrs; Learning disabilities.

These describe the registration. The home must assess whether it can meet the individual person's needs and whether a place is available.

CQC ratings in more detail

Overall rating shown by CQC: Good.

Rating report published 26 April 2019. Latest inspection date recorded: 20 March 2019.

Safe: Good
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-led: Good

Read The Shires's CQC record and reports.

Contains Care Quality Commission information under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratings and registration details can change after the date checked.

5 Questions to Ask on Your Visit

When visiting The Shires, consider asking...

1.What happens if my relative's care needs increase significantly -- will they have to move?
2.How do you handle concerns or complaints from families?
3.What does the monthly fee cover and what will cost extra?
4.How do you keep families informed about their relative's day-to-day wellbeing?
5.What happens if my relative is unhappy here?

5 Things to Look For on Your Visit

When you visit The Shires, look out for...

1.Do staff greet residents by name and stop to chat?
2.Are residents dressed, up and occupied, or sitting alone in front of a TV?
3.Does the home smell fresh and feel clean without being clinical?
4.Do residents look comfortable and at ease, or anxious and withdrawn?
5.Does the manager answer your questions openly or deflect?

Could the NHS fund The Shires's fees?

The average nursing home costs £1,535 per week. That's £79,820 a year. NHS Continuing Healthcare could cover all of it. No means test, no contribution from you.

Find out if the NHS could fund these fees