Council completes AI trial to enhance Adult Social Care services

The local authority has just successfully completed a pilot of Magic Notes, an artificial intelligence tool developed by Beam, which accurately records conversations between social workers and their clients to improve the speed and quality of assessments.

The trial has been carried out in the Council’s Adult Social Care department and has led to a 63 per cent reduction in the time social workers spend compiling their assessments and logging their case notes.

By spending too much time on admin tasks, social workers have less time to focus on person-centred care - a core requirement of the Care Act 2014, which mandates councils to promote individual well-being and deliver focused support. The challenges are amplified for colleagues with learning difficulties or other protected characteristics.

Partnering with Beam, a social enterprise committed to developing technology that supports frontline workers, the Council trialled Magic Notes across 184 frontline meetings.

Magic Notes automatically generates detailed, high-quality assessments, with data securely stored within the UK.

The pilot, conducted between April and July 2024, involved 19 social workers and a single leadership support officer using Magic Notes in various contexts, including Care Act Assessments, Mental Capacity Assessments, and other supporting conversations as part of their duties.

The results were overwhelmingly positive, including:

• a 63 per cent reduction in admin time with the tool significantly reducing the time social workers spent on paperwork, enabling them to allocate more time to support individuals effectively
• faster assessments, as the average time to conduct a Care Act Conversation dropped from one hour 30 minutes to just 35 minutes, and the time taken to write up these assessments was reduced from four hours to one hour 30 minutes.

Magic Notes has also proved particularly beneficial for colleagues with learning difficulties, visual impairments, and those where English is not their first language at the Council. It fostered a more inclusive work environment.

One colleague said:  “I’m dyslexic – I’m much more productive with Magic Notes. It helps my thoughts not get stuck, takes away confusion from my mind and reduces anxiety.”

Another social worker who took part in the trial, said: “This tool has made me feel on equal terms with my colleagues despite my challenges as a person with learning difficulties and allows me to be more confident.”

Following the successful trial, the Council has secured a new six-month contract with Beam for Magic Notes.

Councillor Ray Ballman, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, praised the initiative. She said:

“Magic Notes has been a game-changer for our colleagues in Adult Social Care. By reducing the administrative burden, the tool has allowed social workers to focus more on what matters most - engaging in meaningful, person-centred conversations with those they support.

“The positive feedback from the team has been exceptional, and it's clear that tools like Magic Notes can make a real difference in how we deliver services. We are now carefully considering the next steps, looking at how we can further leverage this technology to support our colleagues and enhance the quality of care we provide.”