Artificial intelligence (AI) has shifted from a niche topic in tech circles to a headline conversation across health and care over the past couple of years. What was once the preserve of data scientists and software engineers is now discussed in care home corridors, home care offices, and even over the dinner table! But while the hype is loud, the reality for social care is more nuanced, filled with both opportunity and the responsibility to get it right. Join us as we explore the reality and potential of AI in social care.
The reality of AI in social care
Much of the buzz stems from Generative AI (GenAI). Tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot that create new content like text or images. These have made AI accessible to anyone, even those with no technical background. This accessibility has sparked imagination and curiosity across the care sector. Care leaders are starting to ask, “What can AI do for us?”
However, the reality is that large-scale return on investment (ROI) for AI in social care hasn’t been fully realised yet. While the tech industry is racing ahead, the challenge for our sector is not to chase AI for its novelty. But to apply it deliberately to real business and care problems.
Two clear paths exist:
- Tech-driven innovation
Companies build increasingly powerful models. An exciting approach, but one that is often disconnected from on-the-ground needs. Which is incompatible with community centred care.
- Problem-driven design
Where we start with the care challenge and design AI tools to address it in safe, specific, and scalable ways. The best forms of which involved lived experience throughout. Which is known as keeping a ‘human in the loop’.
For obvious reasons, at Nourish we believe it’s the second path that holds real promise for social care.
Why AI can be a game changer for social care
At its best, AI offers a way to augment human work, not replace it. In social care, this means easing the administrative load, surfacing critical insights faster, and supporting preventative approaches that improve quality of life for the people we serve.
A useful way to think about this is through the ‘Triple Aim’ framework from US healthcare, which focuses on:
- Improving quality and satisfaction for those receiving care
- Improving health outcomes
- Reducing the cost of care delivery
For UK care providers, AI can directly support these aims. For example:
- Prevention of adverse outcomes
AI can analyse patterns from care records to identify those at risk of falls or wound complications. Early alerts allow proactive interventions.
- Efficiency in processes
Instead of manually sifting through thousands of care notes, AI can flag only those needing review. Freeing your teams time to focus on direct care.
- Person-led care
Carers can use AI to surface relevant insights from each individual’s data. Enabling care providers to tailor care plans more effectively to the specific needs and goals of their community.
Crucially, this is not about replacing carers with algorithms. It’s about using AI in social care to lift some of the cognitive burden. So that staff can spend more time doing what only humans can. Building relationships and delivering compassionate, intuitive care.
How AI works in practice
AI depends on data, and in social care, the ongoing shift to digital systems means we now have more data than ever before. Care records, care notes, health metrics, and incident reports all hold valuable insights if we know how to extract them.
Two main AI techniques are particularly relevant:
- Generative AI (GenAI)
These models excel at working with large amounts of unstructured text. For example, they can be trained to identify patterns in free-text care notes, spotting trends that might otherwise go unnoticed.
- Machine Learning (ML)
This involves feeding structured data into a model to detect patterns and make predictions. For instance, by analysing hydration levels and health conditions a machine learning model can help predict falls risk.
The most effective approach blends these techniques with expert oversight. A concept known as supervised learning. This ensures the AI’s “understanding” is guided by the experience of clinical professionals and frontline carers. Which in turn ensures the insights it produces are safe, relevant, and trustworthy.
Why responsible AI matters
Social care deals with some of the most sensitive data possible, and the wellbeing of real people. That makes Responsible AI not just an ethical choice but a practical necessity.
Responsible AI follows core principles:
- Fairness and inclusiveness
Avoiding bias that could harm certain groups and propagate incorrect information. - Privacy and security
Safeguarding private personal and medical data. - Transparency and accountability
Ensuring decisions are traceable and explainable so every decision can be reviewed and understood.
- Human oversight
Staying connected to the realities of care by keeping a “human in the loop” for all decisions.
This last principle is crucial. In social care, AI should suggest, not act. That is what we mean by augmenting, rather than replacing care. A falls-risk prediction, for example, should prompt a human review and intervention. As opposed to automatically changing a care plan.
This protects against the risks of over-automation. So, providers can ensure that the irreplaceable human qualities of care, empathy, intuition, and contextual judgment, remain at the centre. This is why we build systems that are transparent and auditable. So, we understand why recommendations are given and remain accountable to them.
Practical applications on the horizon
Responsible AI opens the door to several promising use cases:
- Enhanced wound management
AI can identify patterns in wound care data, predict complications, and suggest preventative interventions, such as optimal dressing-change frequencies.
- Quality assurance in care notes
By training a model on high-quality care notes, AI can review thousands at once, flagging those that might lack necessary detail or clarity.
- Early dependency detection
Analysing patterns over time can help identify changes in a person’s level of independence, supporting proactive adjustments to care plans.
These examples share a common goal. Namely: moving from reactive care ‘What happened?’ to proactive and preventative care ‘Why is it happening, and how can we change the outcome?’.
Building trust in AI in social care
For AI to be embraced in social care, trust must be earned and maintained. This means:
- Involving care providers and clinical experts in design.
- Validating AI outputs before deployment.
- Using models that can explain their reasoning.
- Updating and monitoring models regularly to ensure accuracy and fairness.
Trust isn’t a one-off achievement. It’s a relationship that must be nurtured through ongoing transparency and collaboration.
The road ahead
The potential of AI in social care is undeniable. Used responsibly, it can improve outcomes, reduce costs, and allow carers to focus more on human connection. But the key word is ‘responsibly’. Rooted in human experience and shaped by the people and communities it supports.
The most effective AI in our sector will come from co-production. Solutions developed hand-in-hand with those who understand the realities of care and support. Both in terms of those who provide care and support, and those who utilise it. This ensures the technology supports the real needs of the sector. Rather than forcing the sector to adapt to the technology.
In the end, AI in social care should not be about replacing human judgment but empowering it. The goal is a future where technology enhances the compassion, skill, and dedication that define our sector. Where AI is the assistant, and people remain firmly in charge.
