An innovative website is up and running, enabling people to select and compare care providers across West Sussex.

It ties in with the launch of the 2009/10 West Sussex Care Guide, giving information and advice on support and care services for adults across West Sussex.

The Guide is published jointly by West Sussex County Council and the West Sussex Forum, which represents and works on behalf of independent care providers across the county.

A new feature for this year is the Caringinfo.com (www.caringinfo.com) website, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. It displays the Care Quality Commission overall star rating for each care home, and enables people to select and compare care providers on the basis of their rating.

The Care Guide and website contain information on the different types of care available and who may be eligible for help from the County Council. There are also details of carers support services across the county and information on self-directed support and how the scheme works.

Readers of the Care Guide can also find out more about various community services, including the Meals on Wheels service and the differences between residential and nursing home care.

The Care Guide contains a list of useful contacts and has listings for care homes across the county, banded together into the relevant locality, including how many places each home has and what type of care they provide. Registered care at home organisations are also listed geographically.

West Sussex County Council Leader Henry Smith said: “West Sussex is unique in publishing a care guide as a collaboration between the council and the independent sector. It’s an informative and important guide outlining all types of care available in West Sussex and how to access those services.”

Paul Renshaw, Chief Executive Officer of The West Sussex Forum, said: “Information and advice are the glue of a 21st century care system that seeks to function well and deliver choice and control to older and disabled people, their families and carers.

“Until now, those people in West Sussex who fund their own care or who do not meet the criteria for local authority support have been left to navigate the system without any professional input – often at a time of major change and considerable personal upheaval. Caringinfo and The West Sussex Care Guide are leading the way in helping people get the support and advice they need.”

For a copy of the care guide contact your Locality Office. You can also view the guide on the County Council website at www.westsussex.gov.uk or the Forum website at www.caringinfo.com.