Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey is celebrating a historic achievement today after being awarded the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) highest possible five-star Outstanding rating for a third consecutive time – an accolade never achieved before in the UK home care sector.
Bluebird Care – who provide care to people in their own homes – first achieved the prestigious five-star CQC rating in 2018, when they became the first home care company in England to earn the regulator’s highest accolade. This success was repeated at their next inspection in 2021, and now in 2025 they have made history yet again by securing a third consecutive five-star Outstanding rating – a feat unmatched by any of the other 12,000 home care providers in the country.
The CQC’s report praised Bluebird Care,stating: “Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey is performing exceptionally well, and the culture they have created has driven a high-quality, person-centred care service. The service is exceptionally safe, meaning people are protected by a strong and distinctive approach to safeguarding.”
Norman Murphy, Managing Director of Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey, said: “We are humbled and proud to shine a positive light on the home care sector today, with our third consecutive five-star Outstanding CQC rating. These ratings are incredibly important as they enable the public to review our services and make informed decisions about care for their loved ones. Our remarkable achievement reflects our mission from day one, which has always been to provide the highest quality of care to all our customers. This gold-standard, five-star rating, is the reflection of our incredible staff, and we are honoured to have been recognised by the CQC as setting the benchmark for the entire care industry.”
Neil Cox, CQC Deputy Director of Operations in the South, said: “A third consecutive Outstanding rating is a sustained standard of excellence that other services should aim to match. Bluebird Care should be very proud of their continued commitment to Outstanding care. Other services should look to this report to learn from their positive findings and continued excellence.”
Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey has grown significantly under the leadership of local Winchester-based couple, Norman and Claire Murphy. Based in Wessex Business Park in Colden Common, the prestigious home and live-in care company first stated in February 2012 with just two members of staff. They now employ over 300 local people, and operate four offices across Hampshire, covering Winchester, Eastleigh, Romsey, Andover, Stockbridge, Alton, Petersfield, and Havant, as well as operating an office in South Buckinghamshire. They have delivered over 2 million care visits to thousands of customers since they started.
Norman & Claire Murphy, Owners of Bluebird Care Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey, celebrate becoming the first home care provider in the UK to be rated 5-star Outstanding by the CQC three consecutive times.