A HOME care firm has been rated “outstanding” by health watchdog inspectors because its staff go the extra mile for patients.

Caretree Ltd is the first care provider in the county to be given the highest rating possible by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

But while founder and managing director Linzi Prendergast said she was delighted with the result, she stressed the company will not rest on its laurels.

She added: “I obviously feel delighted, but we don’t brag about what we do as an agency, we just do it.

“I don’t think that’s what care is about; it’s about looking after people with compassion and a sense of how you would want you or your parents to be looked after. It’s not about glory.”

CQC inspectors carried out a planned inspection in December and rated Caretree as “outstanding” in the caring and well-led categories, and “good” for safe, effective and responsive.

The watchdog gave the agency an overall rating of “outstanding” and said care plans were personalised and people felt involved in their care.

Inspectors added: “Staff were caring and regularly carried out acts of kindness in addition to those required to meet people’s identified needs. The importance of building caring relationships was valued by everyone in the organisation.

“There were exceptional levels of kindness and compassion for people, relatives and staff.”

Caretree, which was founded in 2007 and is based at The Core Business Centre in Milton Hill, near Didcot, looks after 55 people across the county in their own homes. It provides a variety of services ranging from housework, shopping and cooking to personal care, dementia care and palliative care support. Clients include social services and continuing care contracts as well as private patients.

Former nurse Mrs Prendergast said she set up the firm because she wanted to give something back to the nursing profession.

The 42-year-old qualified as a nurse in 1995 and was promoted to a ward sister two years later.

Mrs Prendergast moved to Oxfordshire in 2002 to work at the Acland Hospital, in Banbury Road, Oxford, which was sold to Keble College in 2004 to become graduate accommodation.

Mrs Prendergast still keeps up her nursing registration and said it meant a lot to her personally for Caretree to receive an “outstanding” rating for caring.

She added: “I set out on my career to make a difference and I feel I have achieved that.”