Elevating communication in health and social care with GenAI Chatbots

Communication lies at the heart of effective health and social care delivery, serving as a lifeline for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and disabled. In the context of adult social care, effective communication is paramount to ensure the well-being and quality of life of care recipients.

Yet, traditional methods of communication in health and social care, such as face-to-face interactions and written notes, often fall short of meeting the diverse needs of care recipients. These methods are plagued by time constraints, accessibility issues, and a lack of personalised communication, hindering the delivery of high-quality care. Too often, citizens are not able to get access to the information they need most.

GenAI chatbots are poised to improve communication in social care settings and citizen engagement more broadly. These intelligent virtual assistants have the potential to bridge communication gaps, enhance accessibility, and provide personalised support to citizens and care recipients, ultimately improving their overall experience and outcomes.

In this article, we will explore the current landscape of communication in adult social care, analyse the limitations of traditional methods, and delve into the transformative potential of AI-driven chatbots. By showcasing real-world examples and addressing concerns and ethical considerations, we aim to paint a comprehensive picture of how AI technology can elevate communication in social care and pave the way for a brighter future.

Communication in health and social care

Traditionally, communication in adult social care has relied heavily on standard, non-personalised documents being shared with citizens, or face-to-face interactions and phone calls that are time-consuming for adult social care teams and inconsistent in the quality of information provided. As demand soars for social care services, face-to-face and over-the-phone interactions will not suffice as the primary form of communicating information to citizens.

In recent years, various local authorities have experimented with rule-based chatbots to provide information to citizens and triage their needs to the most appropriate service, as a means of supplementing traditional communication methods. These chatbots, however, have failed to respond to the nuances and complexities of modern requests for information and advice, due to their prescriptive nature and limited capacity for personalised interaction. 

GenAI chatbots represent a paradigm shift in communication within adult social care. Able to gather information through dynamic questioning and understand the nuance and context of each response, these natural language chatbots can simulate human-like conversation to disseminate information effectively and empathetically.

GenAI chatbots era in communication in health and social care

The difference between a rule-based chatbot commonly seen on a website’s customer service page and these GenAI chatbots powered by Large Language Models is striking. Whilst both are no longer bound by time and location constraints – and so able to offer guidance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – GenAI chatbots excel in delivering personalised communication tailored to the unique needs and preferences of individual care recipients. By understanding the context of a user’s message and drawing from defined repositories of information provided by the council, chatbots can provide targeted information, reminders, and emotional support, enhancing engagement and satisfaction among care recipients.

Examples of GenAI chatbots for health and social care: Cura and Nava

At Agilisys Transform, we have developed two GenAI chatbots, Cura and Nava, that will change the way citizens interact with their councils entirely.

CURA – GenAI Chatbot for Social Care Assessment Requests

CURA is designed to create a digital front door experience for social care services that triages social care requests to the most appropriate service and team, reducing the burden on the social care contact centre team.

NAVA – GenAI Citizen Front-Door

NAVA is service-agnostic, and provides information and advice related to any council service, helping citizens to navigate their council’s offerings with ease.

Both Cura and Nava are GenAI chatbots, built without the need for prescriptive flow charts or intense training periods, but instead able to draw from publicly available and private information repositories to give citizens the most relevant guidance, advice, and information available.

We see GenAI chatbots as the future of social care communications, and the future of how councils interact with their citizens at large. The need for human interaction is by no means lost; GenAI chatbots, however, make sure that resource-strapped councils can direct human intervention to the most appropriate cases. Most importantly, citizens are now able to receive the most appropriate information they need, quickly and effectively.

Next steps you can take today

In conclusion, GenAI chatbots offer a transformative solution to communication challenges in health and social care. By simulating human-like conversation and providing personalised support, these intelligent virtual assistants bridge communication gaps and enhance accessibility for vulnerable populations. Examples like Cura and Nava demonstrate their potential to enhance social care communications, streamlining processes and ensuring citizens receive timely assistance.  

Contact us at info@agilisys.co.uk for your enquiries and to get started streamlining your social care eligibility assessment processes.