About Essex Care Search and Help

What is Essex Care Search?

The Essex Care Search website has been created to help people find a care home either for themselves, a relative or a loved one.

You can use the website to search for an older people residential or nursing care home within Essex and refine the results based on location, the type of care, and facilities the home can provide.

Essex Care Search was developed in collaboration with Essex County Council (ECC), Essex NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and Essex Care Association (ECA) to help make finding a care home in Essex easier and quicker for all parties.

Essex Care Search is also used by ECC and CCGs to search for and request contract and framework care home beds on behalf of service users.

Searching for a Care Home

How to search for a care home or vacant care home bed using the basic search: 

1.    Enter the town or postcode of your desired location and select the location from the drop-down list

2.    Choose the distance radius you would like to search e.g. 5 miles / 10 miles

3.    Select if you would like to search all homes, or only those that currently have vacancies

4.    Select if you are looking for a long term or short stay (respite) bed

5.    Click the Search button

The search results will show all the care homes that match your search criteria. The search results can be refined further using the filter options shown on the search results page.

Details of vacant beds in a care home can be viewed along with information about the care home and contact information.

You can also view the search results on a map.

Help using Essex Care Search

Please see the Essex Care Search - Quick Reference Guide document for an overview of how to use the website. When clicked the link will open a PDF document in a new browser window.

For more detailed information on how to use the system and conduct a search, please use the Essex Care Search - Public Guidance document. When clicked the link will open a PDF document in a new browser window.

In addition, see links below to YouTube video guides demonstrating how to use the system. When clicked the links will open YouTube in a new browser window.

Public Overview
Basic Search
Viewing Search Results
Viewing Care Home Profiles

 

Help choosing a Care Home

Information about choosing a care home can be found at either the NHS www.nhs.uk or Age UK www.ageuk.org.uk websites.

The Placement Team Brokerage Service

If, after reading the information available on the Essex Care Search website you wish to speak to someone for further advice or guidance about choosing a care home, please contact The Placement Team Brokerage Service on 03330 139 973

Adult Social Care Assessment

To discuss your care and support needs, please contact Essex County Council Adult Social Care

Telephone: 0345 603 7630
Textphone: 0345 758 5592

For additional information please visit: www.essex.gov.uk/topic/adult-social-care-and-health

The Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects care homes regularly to check standards of care. For information on CQC ratings and care home reports visit:www.cqc.org.uk

Information for Essex Social Care Professionals

If you are working with an individual who is considering moving to a care home, and they are on the Essex County Council funding pathway or are eligible for Essex County Council financial support, please follow current social care process and make a referral to the Service Placement Team (SPT) for sourcing of the placement. SPT will then contact the individual/family (or yourself, where appropriate) to discuss care home options.

If the individual or family have a preference for a care home, please include this in the referral to SPT, but it should be made clear to the individual or family that their preference may not be available for Essex County Council financial support.

This is to ensure all placement options are considered, including those that may not be listed on Essex Care Search and to avoid future disappointment for the individual by discussing potential placement options that may not be available for Essex County Council financial support.

Information for Care Homes wishing to join Essex Care Search

Joining Essex Care Search is free to all Residential and Nursing Care Homes located in and around Essex. If you would like to find out more, please register your interest by either registering your care home via Essex Care Search ‘New Care Provider? Register here link on the home page or contact us using the email or telephone number on this page.