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Almost 100 people have signed up to a service that takes the stress out of looking for the right care and support at home.

CareCompare matches them directly to local care companies, in the same way as using similar platforms to find a local plumber or builder.

It was initially launched as a small pilot scheme last year and has been improved to find people the right help in their home, for everything from preparing meals through to overnight or 24/7 live-in care.

One user in Southend, said: “Having the opportunity to reach out to multiple companies at the same time makes searching for care so much easier.”

CareCompare is an idea that came out of the Innovation Fellowship at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which looks at new ways of benefitting patients through the use of technology.

More than 15 local care companies are already part of the scheme, including Mike Riglin Nursing. Carole Pellicci, care support administrator for the Maldon-based care company, said: “It has opened up a whole new way of how we take care packages on; it’s great to be able to see the different types of care needs that are out there.”

It is also something that has gained support from local GPs, who have been recommending the service.

Dr Jose Garcia Lobera, a GP at The Pall Mall Surgery in Leigh-on-Sea and chair of the Southend Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Patients in my practice have already benefitted from this service. As a health and care system we want to make sure the right support is in place to keep local people independent and in their own homes for as long as possible.”

CareCompare, which is also being supported by Age UK Essex, is the idea of Dr Adam Ali, part of the Trust’s Innovation Fellowship.

Dr Ali said: “We’ve listened to people who took part in the pilot and made it a much more user-friendly experience. It’s already getting some great feedback, from both public and care companies.

“It speeds up the process of finding care, whilst giving patients and their relatives choice and easy access to ratings provided by the Care Quality Commission, price and specific expertise.”

Co-founder Dr Liban Saleh added that such an easy-to-use system would have helped his family in the past. “When we were looking for care for my grandfather, my family and I found it really difficult to identify the right care services due to the sheer number of companies out there.”

Sign up for free at www.carecompare.net