A care home under threat of closure after it was rated inadequate by CQC inspectors has been taken over.

Wellbeing Care Ltd has reached an agreement to acquire St George's Care Home in Beccles - with the deal meaning that all existing staff will keep their jobs and residents will transfer over.

Last month, St George's Care Home was slammed by inspectors as the Care Quality Commission rated the service as inadequate.

The dementia care home was rated inadequate in 'safety', 'caring' and 'well-led' categories following "significant shortfalls", as well as being rated as requiring improvement for effectiveness and responsiveness.

But after extensive negotiations, a new deal has been struck - with managers vowing to "improve the service" and "lead the home to achieve full CQC compliance."

Operations manager, Joy Henshaw, said: "Great credit should be given to the staff who have maintained a positive attitude at the home and ensured that the residents have remained well cared for.

"We will look to build on this and support the existing staff to improve the service for the residents at St George's care home in the future and lead the home to achieve to full CQC compliance."

Farooq Patel, director of Wellbeing Care Ltd, said: "We are pleased to add St George's care home to our Wellbeing Care family.

"I'm delighted that our discussions with Hansa and Raj Odedra have resulted in this deal.

"With over 10 years in the care sector in Suffolk and Northampton we are confident that under our management St George's Care Home will flourish and continue to serve the local community.

"It's extremely pleasing that we've been able to strike an agreement with Weldglobe Ltd and add another care home to Wellbeing Care family.

"Wellbeing Care aims to provide high quality premium care to residents with no need for upheaval or disruption and safeguards the jobs of staff.

"Our residents and staff team are of paramount importance to us."

The care home remains in special measures, with another inspection to take place within the next five months to check for "significant improvements."

Failure to improve the service before then could see the care home closed.

'A real community-based care home'

Wellbeing Care Ltd operates Dell Care Home in Lowestoft, which is an award winning home for residential and dementia care.

It also runs the Wellbeing Day Centre for elderly, which is independently rated top.

Farooq Patel, director of Wellbeing Care Ltd, said: "From the moment we first visited the home and met with the staff and residents we knew that St George's Care Home could not be allowed to close and thus we worked tirelessly with the owners to come to an agreement to allow Wellbeing Care to takeover and ensure the continuation of the service.

"When we had discussions with the Suffolk County Council about St George's care home, they stressed to us that they felt the home was a real community-based care home and they were very keen to see it continue to provide the care it does for the local community in Beccles and surrounding areas of Suffolk and Norfolk."