The comprehensive inspection took place on 11 July 2018 and 16 July 2018 and was unannounced.

Sunrise of Eastbourne is a 'care home.' People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Sunrise Eastbourne is a purpose-built location and is registered to support and provide accommodation for up to 107 people. At the time of the inspection there were 90 people living at the home. Sunrise of Eastbourne provides care and support for older people with various needs such as dementia and nursing. Sunrise of Eastbourne is described as a community which is divided into two neighbourhoods. The care home accommodates people across two separate neighbourhoods, both of which have separate adapted facilities. The home includes the Assisted Living neighbourhood which provides care and nursing for people dependant on their level of need and the Reminiscence neighbourhood which specialises in providing care for people living with dementia.

Sunrise of Eastbourne was last inspected in December 2016. The service was rated as Good in the domains of Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led. The service received a rating of Outstanding in Caring. At the current inspection the services overall rating had improved to Outstanding. The current inspection was undertaken because of changes to the providers registration. The providers Sunrise UK Operations Ltd and Sunrise Senior Living Ltd are dual registered and are both jointly responsible for managing the regulated activities at the single location, Sunrise of Eastbourne.

Sunrise of Eastbourne had a registered manager who had been in post since January 2015. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People received exceptionally effective care, based on best practice by staff with an in-depth knowledge of their care and treatment needs. People were supported by clinical governance process that looked continuously to explore areas of leading practice and drive improvements for people’s quality of life. The service looked for, and promoted, innovative approaches to the delivery of care and support. Staff had very good skills in managing and reducing risk and keeping people safe whilst promoting people to lead fulfilling lives and minimise restrictions on their freedom. People received their medicines safely and on time from staff who were trained and assessed to manage medicines safely.

People received high standards of kind and compassionate care. People and their relatives told us the staff were extremely caring, kind, attentive and dedicated in their approach, which was evident throughout the inspection. They commended the exceptional quality of the care they received. We observed one person’s comments which stated, “The care home that everyone would wish for their most beloved.” People’s dignity and independence was protected, and the provider had given significant consideration, and promotion to, people’s diversity.

The service promoted the use of care champions in areas such as dementia, falls, wound care and equality and diversity, amongst others, who actively supported staff to ensure people were cared for in a way that promoted their wellbeing. The management and staff were proactive in working in partnership with professionals to enhance people’s health and wellbeing as well as staff’s knowledge and skills. There was a strong and dedicated focus on training and continued development for staff. The provider was excellent in ensuring that staff applied their learning and training into practice to deliver person-centred