CareCompare helps give patients needing care greater choice
People in Southend and Chelmsford who need care support at home can now find the right care for them thanks to a new pilot scheme, called CareCompare.
It works in the same way as similar services used to find a local plumber or builder, but this is for local care companies, large and small. CareCompare has been developed as part of an Innovation Fellowship at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
The site, www.carecompare.net, matches individuals looking for homecare to high quality companies that have the capacity to deliver, speeding up the process of finding care whilst giving patients and their relatives choice and access to CQC ratings, price and specific expertise.
Healthcare professionals, including nurses, social workers, GPs and hospital staff across the region, are now recommending the site to those who need care.
Covid-19 has led to an increase in the number of people expected to need homecare, and put an extra strain on the care sector, with some care workers either unwell or self-isolating, which could lead to a lack of availability.
Due to social distancing there has also been less opportunity to find care by speaking to friends, neighbours, their GP or social workers.
Hoping to help fill that gap is Dr Adam Ali, an orthopaedic surgeon, Innovation Fellow and co-founder of CareCompare. He said: “In my work as a doctor, I am often saddened by the immense difficulty faced by patients and their relatives in finding appropriate care. I wanted to take the stress out of this process at a time when patients are at their most vulnerable, and help connect them with high quality companies quickly. Most people have no prior experience of searching for such care at the time they need it, and that’s where CareCompare can help.”
Dr Liban Saleh, a PhD chemist by training and co-founder of CareCompare, added that such an easy-to-use system would have helped his family in the past. “Many of my relatives have struggled to identify quality care services due to the sheer number of companies out there. I wanted to help other families struggling with the same problem of finding the best care for them by providing a platform for them to choose a company that best fits their needs.”