PAGE 8 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 267
True Intelligence: How AI In Care Is Revolutionising A Struggling Sector AI intelligence could be key to solving serious issues and unlocking huge new opportunities across the industry, says Phil Eckersley, Founder & Managing Director of Bridgewater Home Care. IT is no secret that the care sector is facing perhaps its toughest period in its long and storied history. From the largest care groups to the smallest domiciliary care providers, staff shortages, training and care issues and financial pressures are resulting in a pressurised market that is searching for almost any avenues it can take to answer the ever increasing number of challenges that care providers face in 2025. The issues are widespread enough to be recognised by the CQC, with the industry body’s 2023/24 State of Care report[1] highlighting a Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman case where a council review found more than 300 people were receiving “short calls”. The same document also revealed that 15% of all care services in the UK were rated ‘Requires Improvement’ or below, while the DHSC’s national survey[2] found 71% said recruitment is challenging and 57% said retention is challenging, with the statistics being even more challenging for domiciliary care settings, with 74% finding recruitment challenging and 58.5% retention challenging. These issues with retention are being fed by another major need in the industry - training. With tight timeframes and staff shortages, time and resources for training aren’t always available, meaning that improving the quality of care can also be difficult. Training, performance and retention - three things that are essential to any care business succeeding. However, one other factor that underpins all of these factors is budgets. It’s not just recruitment and retention that is an issue right now. The sector is suffering from a well-publicised funding black hole that has lead to an estimated 82% of providers that are either in deficit or are seeing a decline in their surplus[3], and despite local authorities having allocated £24.5bn for social care in the 24-25 financial year, an estimated 8 out of 10 councils are still on track to overspend their adult social care budgets. Solving these issues is a complex process, but one element that is becoming increasingly popular in the care sector is the understanding that AI can provide real business benefits. Artificial intelligence tools have immense potential and power to support care enterprises to tackle a range of major issues and provide a force multiplier for the smaller teams that often exist within care providers.
One key approach that has reaped benefits for the team at Bridgewater Home Care is utilising the power of AI to support their care professionals to deliver high quality care at an incredible rate of efficiency. The team have developed a proprietary usage of AI tools and have trained a specialised AI large language model (LLM) that can offer an initial review for individual care plans. Each plan is stripped of all personally identifiable information, then submitted to the AI platform that feeds back on the plan and judges how closely the plan adheres to best practice guidance from the CQC. These plans are then reviewed by a registered care manager, who has instant access to a care plan summary, allowing them to massively improve review speed and ensure all plans align with CQC best practice guidance. The process takes less time, is more accurate and enables managers to oversee more staff than previous methods and is just one of the ways that AI is enhancing client care standards. The system is also extremely useful for ensuring consistency across a care plan. Spotlighting elements that interact or contradict each other within a care plan is vital, especially if those elements are related to medical or pharmacological sections. The tool is not just there to ensure accuracy and speed, but is an additional layer of security that ensures those that receive services are safe and healthy. However, it’s not just our clients that are reaping the benefits of these tools. Carers and managers themselves are seeing major benefits to their workloads and their overall job requirements. With the summarisation of care plans being almost instantaneous, managers can review multiple care plans at once - enabling them to identify training needs if there are repeated mistakes or changes required. The ability to unlock data and understand what training and support care workers may need to do their jobs better has a two-fold effect. Firstly and most importantly, it increases the level of care that clients receive, but it also plays another vital role in supporting staff retention. One of the leading causes of job dissatisfaction across the care sector is a feeling of a lack of support and adequate training - something that an AI-powered approach can help to solve, and an issue that is crucial to manage and resolve if we wish to see the sector thrive. And this is just the beginning. The applications for AI in care are astounding, with the next major step being systems automation. Once we can see a world where AI tools are at the level to be trained to offer complete, 360 advice and guidance for care workers on what their clients need and how to most effectively deliver their care, we will see a stratospheric improvement in service user quality of life and will be entering a new age for the care sector in the UK. [1] - The state of health care and adult social care in England 2023/24 - Care Quality Commission, 2024 [2] - Adult social care workforce survey: April 2025 report - Department of Health & Social Care, 2024 [3] - Adult social care sector on the precipice over costs, Care England warns - The Evening Standard, 2022
101-Year-Old Meets Santa for the First Time A resident at a care home in Coningsby met Santa for the very first time thanks to volunteers at the Coningsby and Tattershall Lions Club saying, “I felt like a little girl again.” Growing up in war times, 101-year-old, Gwen Chapman said, “We didn’t have much – I’d hang up my dad’s socks as Christmas stockings and wake up to a piece of coal and a bit of chocolate.” Gwen, who was born in 1924, met her late husband, Eric in 1947 and went on to have four children, nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. She moved into Toray Pines care home in Coninsgby in March 2025. Activities co-ordinator at Toray Pines, Sophie Lamming said, “Gwen and many residents didn’t experience Christmas and Santa the way we do, so we wanted to make it as magical as possible for her.” Volunteers from the Coningsby and Tattershall Lions Club arrived at the care home with Santa and a sleigh full of gifts for the residents. Sophie added, “We wanted to make Christmas extra special for all our residents – a visit from Santa on
a sleigh felt like the perfect way to create lasting memories. “ It was Gwen’s wish to have her family together, she said, “It felt like I was a little girl again meeting Santa and it was lovely having my family all around.” Sophie continued, “Gwen is such a warm and kind person. She’s always talked about her childhood Christmases, and we all know how much she loves animals and the simple things in life. “When we spoke to the Lions Club about the idea of Santa and the elves visiting, we knew this would be an unforgettable experience for Gwen—and for all of our residents. “It’s about giving them a piece of that childhood magic they deserve.” Simon Burr, President of the Coningsby and Tattershall Lions Club commented, “The lions were honoured to come and give this experience to Gwen and the other residents, we are always happy to bring the community together for times like this.”
Derbyshire Care Home Sale Collapses, Residents Face Relocation Derbyshire County Council has announced it will close eight residential care facilities and relocate dozens of residents after negotiations with a prospective purchaser collapsed last week. The Reform UK-controlled local authority had been in advanced discussions to transfer all eight homes to a single operator but was informed that the deal would not proceed. Council cabinet member for adult care Joss Barnes expressed disappointment at the outcome, stating the authority had hoped to maintain continuity for residents and job security for staff through the sale arrangement. “We deeply regret having to share such distressing information with residents and families at this time of year,” Barnes said, acknowledging the timing so close to the festive period. The facilities affected by the announcement are located across the county in Borrowash, Swadlincote, Eckington, Long Eaton, Ashbourne, Shirebrook, Swanwick, and Bolsover.
TRANSITION PLANS
Council officers have begun contacting residents and relatives to discuss alternative accommodation options. Each resident will undergo individual assessment to identify appropriate private sector placements within their local communities. The authority has committed to covering placement costs, though specific financial arrangements remain under negotiation with receiving providers. No fixed deadline has been established for completing the relocations, with officials emphasising that
resident welfare remains paramount throughout the transition process.
STRATEGIC CONTEXT
The sale initiative originated under the previous Conservative administration in November 2024 as part of broader reforms to adult social care provision in the county. Sources indicate the council is refocusing its directly-provided services toward specialist dementia care rather than general residential accommodation, which has influenced the decision not to seek alternative buyers for the eight homes. A ninth facility, Ada Belfield in Belper, continues to be marketed separately on a lease basis and remains unaffected by the current situation.
POLITICAL RESPONSE
Conservative group leader Alex Dale criticised the decision, arguing that closure should represent a final option only after exhausting all alternatives. Dale noted that the previous administration had received substantial interest from qualified care operators willing to maintain the homes as operational facilities with existing residents and staff in place. “These vulnerable residents, their concerned families, and dedicated staff members warrant every possible effort to preserve these homes under new management,” Dale said. Senior council leadership is scheduled to convene for detailed briefings on the failed transaction and to determine the path forward.