Click Shifts, part of the newly-launched Flourish brand from The Progress Group, connects care clients to local, experienced, and vetted carers who can cover shifts at short notice, reducing the need to rely on agencies and avoiding additional fees.

The platform does not take a cut from what the carer is paid by the client.

Carers can set their availability, ranging from a minimum of three hours to a maximum of 12 hours daily. Additionally, both carers and care clients can rate each other, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Jayne Worthington, chief executive of The Progress Group, said: ‘We are proud to launch this initiative in Merseyside, and we plan to roll it out to other areas across the UK in the coming months, helping even more carers and care providers benefit from this innovative approach.'

To register with Click Shifts care workers need to have a cleared DBS check, hold up-to-date training certificates, and provide two references.

The launch has been supported by sector leaders including social care workforce expert and author of Saving Social Care Neil Eastwood.

He said: ‘It is really good to see products like Click Shifts, which are going to give care workers more empowerment and more autonomy. We really need to change things in the care sector to focus more on the care worker and the offer to them, and Click Shifts is a really great example of that.'

Flourish says its vision is to raise standards and the quality of care across adult and children's social care and education markets.

Worthington added: ‘This is about improving work-life balance, raising standards of care, and supporting professional growth. We want to empower employees but also help employers develop and retain skilled professionals in these sectors.

‘These are solutions that have been built by the sector, for the sector, and support people working in the sector to deliver the best possible care.'