Staff at a family-run Hampshire homecare company raised a glass to two milestones this week.

Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey was 'delighted' to be joined by the mayor of Winchester, Cllr Vivian Achwal, as they toasted to a special dual celebration – their 10th birthday and for being awarded, for a second time, the highest possible 5-star outstanding rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The care provider was first awarded the prestigious five-star CQC rating in 2018, making it the first care company in the country to achieve the regulator’s 5-star seal of approval. It has now achieved that prestigious accolade again, after continuing to impress the CQC in their recent inspection.

Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey is one of three care providers in the country to have been awarded two consecutive five-star ratings by the CQC and are the only care company in Hampshire to achieve this double-accolade.

Cllr Achwal joined Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey owners, staff, customers and other local healthcare professionals as they toasted to the care provider’s continued success.

Two successive five-star inspection ratings mean Bluebird Care’s home and live-in support service is growing in popularity, and this has led to expansion plans, creating many new job openings for local people to embark on a career in care.

Having started in 2012, Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey has gone from strength to strength under the ownership of husband and wife team Norman and Claire Murphy.

The couple started out with just two members of staff and four customers, but 10 years on they now have a group of five offices and have provided over 1.5 million care visits to thousands of customers, employing 400 people along the way.

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Mr Murphy, managing director of Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey said: “We set out to achieve the holy grail of a five-star outstanding CQC rating, so to obtain this for a second time is an incredible accomplishment and testament to both our staff and our commitment to provide only the highest quality care. The timing really couldn’t be sweeter by coinciding with our 10th birthday!”

Cllr Achwal, said: “It was a pleasure to spend the day seeing first-hand the immense dedication that the Bluebird Care team have. With social care now such a vital part of our society, it’s heart-warming to see such an intense commitment to outstanding quality.”

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