Social Care Institute For Excellence launches new partnership with leading GenAI provider
Independent social care charity Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) will be focusing on digital innovation this year at the National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCASC), taking place from 27-29 November at the ACC conference venue in Liverpool.
As the social care sector continues to face significant cost pressures, it is recognised that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and digital innovation offer huge potential, helping workers to spend more time on critical tasks, delivering personalised care, and less time on administrative tasks.
SCIE and Agilisys, a GenAI provider in the social care sector, are launching a strategic partnership to support social care organisations to adopt GenAI, working collaboratively to share knowledge, skills, and capabilities.
Both SCIE and Agilisys have delivered significant impact through digital innovation work. SCIE’s digital consultancy for Bromley has projected a 30 per cent improvement in productivity across core operational processes (assessments, care planning, review).
Meanwhile, Agilisys Transform’s QuickAction product has reduced adult social care business support time by est.400 FTE days per year at Wigan Council and transformed key worker activities in North Somerset Council and Humber & North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board by reducing admin time by c.50 per cent.
SCIE is providing hands-on support to the local projects funded by the DHSC’s Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF), and in particular will be gathering learnings from this, the first ever such fund dedicated to social care innovation and unpaid carers, to inform future social care innovation more broadly.
NCASC sees sector experts from the voluntary, community, and private sectors come together to engage with the latest updates and thinking on key policies and improvement agendas.
SCIE will be hosting two workshops, one of which will cover the progress of the innovative social care projects funded by the ARF so far, learnings, barriers, how to foster innovation and practical examples of success.
The other will take an in-depth look at how co-production, meaning how people with lived experience inform, shape and improve services by working in partnership, and how it supports sustainable, strengths-based approaches. Attendees will hear from Directors of Adult Social Services, people with lived experience and SCIE.
SCIE will also have an exhibition stand (F10) where attendees can learn more about our work, meet our staff—who bring immense depth of expertise and passion for the cause based on frontline work and years of broad experience—and discuss the issues that are important to them.
Commenting on the partnership and the workshops, Kathryn Smith, Chief Executive of SCIE, said: “This year’s conference comes against a backdrop of a new government but ongoing inflation, demographic change, rising workforce costs, increasing demand for care, and tightening local authority budgets.
“Thinking differently about social care delivery is necessary to navigating these ongoing challenges. That is why we are delighted to announce our exciting new partnership with Gen AI provider Agilisys, so together we can put digital technology solutions safely into social care practice, achieving greater productivity and cost savings.
“We are hosting two workshops centred around doing things differently. Our work with the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver the Accelerating Reform Fund projects is creating a pipeline of scalable innovation to improve the efficiency, integration, and quality of care, which can lay the groundwork for a National Care Service. One workshop will explore the significant impact of this work and examples of successful innovation.
“Drawing on the knowledge, ideas, and experience of people who use social care is central to everything we do at SCIE and must be for the Government’s reform roadmap. Therefore, our second session focuses on how co-production supports sustainable, strengths-based approaches.
“We have considerable experience in supporting the sector in developing strengths-based approaches, and we want to work with social care bodies to grow an understanding of how these approaches can become a reality in the world of children and families’ social care.”
Andrew Mindenhall, Chief Executive Officer of Agilisys, said: “The NCASC launch marks the start of an exciting step forward as Agilisys partners with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to revolutionise the social care sector through innovation and collaboration. Together, we aim to harness the power of AI and cutting-edge technology to drive efficiency, improve outcomes, and support those at the heart of social care.
“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to making a meaningful difference, combining Agilisys’ technological expertise with SCIE’s trusted knowledge and advocacy for excellence. From advancing Generative AI solutions to addressing key ethical considerations in social care, we’re proud to embark on this transformative journey.
“Here’s to a future of impactful innovation, strengthened by collaboration.”
Best practice guidance and information was recently published by the SCIE to help those who commission, manage and deliver reablement services tackle key barriers that can prevent people from fully benefitting from the service.
