A Croydon care home has breached more than half a dozen fire safety regulations.
Following an inspection by the London Fire Brigade in September, Iyanala Residential Home was served with an enforcement notice.
A fire risk consultancy, Firerite, found that the home was found to have failed to comply with nine parts of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Among the violations was a failure to provide a suitable method of raising the alarm in the case of a fire. The fire safety equipment had also not been properly checked to ensure it was in effective working order and employees at the home were not adequately trained.
The owner Kehinde Lipede was served an enforcement notice, requiring changes to be made by December 23. Failure to comply with that notice could see the home closed.
However Ms Lipede told the local newspaper the Croydon Advertiser that the issues had almost been resolved.
“We run a four-bedroom family home, so I’m not worried about the report,” she said.
“I’ve basically just gone ahead and done everything, so whether I agree with what they’ve said or not is irrelevant. Anything that saves lives is a good thing. I wouldn’t necessarily take it as a damning report. Any issue that is flagged up can only be a positive thing in terms of learning from it.
“If anything I’m tizzed off it’s being written about. If you came down and saw the type of house I am running, you would see there’s nothing to be worried about.”
The home does have a fire alarm said the owner, adding that she has already challenged the London Fire Brigade’s report on that issue.
Commercial buildings, non-domestic and multi-occupancy premises in England and Wales are already forced to undertake a ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment carried out under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
While the overwhelming majority of premises do this, if the assessment is thought to have been carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or up to two years in prison.