A Norwich woman, who did not want to be named, described the problems she has witnessed at the city home where her grandmother is being cared for.

'They do not have enough staff and because my relative doesn't have such complex needs as some of the other residents she tends to be left alone and forgotten about.

'She won't even go into the communal room because she is worried they'll attend to other people and forget her and she'll be left sat their in a wheelchair.

'So many of the problems come from a lack of staff and also a lack of properly trained and qualified staff. You also see a lot of agency staff and they don't have the same knowledge of the residents as the regular ones, so their individual needs don't really get attended to.

'Not every care home is bad, but the ones that struggle also seem to have issues with poor management.

'They need to find a way of attracting more good people to the sector, training them up, paying them properly and make it an appealing job to do. Schools need to promote Health and Social Care as a career choice. That means secondary schools being aware of courses that are available at local colleges - and encouraging students to consider them.'

•What are your experiences of East Anglia care homes? Email david.powles@archant.co.uk