66764Pilot Project for Care Matching ServicesClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UKMany people in the U.K. require support for everyday activities such as dressing, bathing, cooking and cleaning as well as for tasks such as taking their medications and using medical devices. The ability to continue living in one's own home is often incredibly important, but finding the right type of care to enable this can be difficult, with most individuals having no prior experience of searching for such care at the time they need it. They are also often unwell, making the task of finding an appropriate provider an additional stress at what is already a challenging time. Local councils are increasingly unable to financially support individuals with their care needs, and anyone with savings of over £23,500 must already pay the entire cost of care themselves. The Covid-19 emergency has led to a rapid increase in the number of people expected to require homecare, and put an additional strain on an already fragile care sector, with many care workers either unwell or self-isolating, leading to a lack of availability. Furthermore, traditional routes that individuals use to find care such as speaking to friends, neighbours, their GP or social workers are significantly limited due to social distancing measures. Finding an available, appropriate care provider is therefore a serious challenge that many individuals face. CareCompare is an online platform that helps individuals requiring homecare services to quickly find the care they need. Users register on the site, complete a short form outlining the care they need, why they need it, when they need it, their postcode and any other requirements. This is then sent via a secure system to care providers who, if available to provide this care, reply within 4 hours with an 'offer' detailing information about their company, a link to their most recent inspection report by the Care Quality Commission, previous user feedback, price and, critically, availability to start. The user can then connect with their chosen company, with the company receiving the user contact details and getting in touch to set up a package of care. Following excellent early results in Mid and South Essex, CareCompare will expand the reach of their pilot to cover all of Essex, with the pilot period running until February 2021. The scaling up of service areas and the extension of the pilot is made possible by the continued generous support of Innovate U.K. The pilot will encompass a range of sites including hospitals, GP practices, community hubs and social services across all of Essex, and will additionally be supported by voluntary sector organisations and local authorities in Essex. For more information, please visit our website at https://carecompare.net.