A home care company that allows people to maintain their independence has reason to celebrate.

Home Instead Senior Care Croydon and Dulwich was recently inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and came away with an 'outstanding' rating.

The company, which provides home care to older people so they can continue to live in their own homes, was praised for its"excellent" ability to match clients with staff who share complimentary personalities and hobbies.

This was music to company owner Bhavin Patel's ears.

“It is important to us that our clients are encouraged to maintain their independence and keep doing the things they love," he said.

“Just because someone is older does not mean to say they are not still the person they once were, and we never lose sight of that.

“We are beyond thrilled to be rated outstanding at our first ever inspection, and it is a testament to all the hard work and dedication of our wonderful staff.”

Among the reasons for the outstanding rating was the "compassionate" manner in which staff treated it clients.

"People were supported in creative ways to live full lives and to do activities that were important to them," the report said.

"The provider had excellent systems to match people with staff who had complimentary personalities, shared linguistic and cultural backgrounds or shared hobbies and interests.

"People received full choice in their care, including choice of staff who cared for them.

"The provider went the extra mile in ensuring people received high quality, compassionate care."

Not only did the company catch the eye of the inspector, but also those family members closest it.

One relative told inspectors that "they found a caregiver who is from the same country as my family and we share a language as well as a culture.

“Because the caregiver understands our culture she knows exactly how my mum would like to be cared for.”

This was the first time the company had been inspected since it became a registered service in early 2017.