Transforming Care Delivery through Secure, In-Platform AI and Transcription Technology
At Unique IQ, we are committed to building technology that empowers care providers to do what they do best: deliver exceptional, human-centred care. As an innovator in AI in social care, we’re developing new, secure in-platform tools designed to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and ultimately give care teams more time to focus on what matters most – delivering high-quality, compassionate care.
That’s why we’re delighted to spotlight our growing partnership with Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley – an award-winning home care provider and one of the early movers adopting this brand-new technology. Their enthusiasm for innovation, combined with their commitment to personalised, relationship-led care, makes them an ideal partner in shaping how AI can meaningfully support care teams without replacing the human touch.
As leaders exploring the benefits of AI in social care, this partnership highlights what’s possible when forward-thinking providers collaborate with technology designed specifically for the sector.
The Challenge: Hours Lost to Manual Notes, Care Plans & Admin
Like many care providers, Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley faced a significant operational challenge: the sheer volume of time spent writing notes, recording observations, typing up care plans, and managing interview and assessment documentation.
As an award-winning organisation known for exceptional home care, the team were eager to explore solutions that could reduce administrative pressures while giving staff more time back with clients. Their proactive approach to digital transformation made them an ideal early partner.
Their Care Managers described situations where a single care plan could take up to five hours to write from scratch even after a 1–1.5 hour consultation conversation:
“Before we used AI at all, it would take me about 5 hours to type up a Care Plan from scratch.”
Sarah Brunt, Care Manager, Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley
And it wasn’t just care planning. Daily log note reviews, auditing, risk identification and interview documentation placed a heavy administrative burden on teams, time that could otherwise be spent directly supporting clients.
The Solution: How AI in Social Care Enhances Secure In-Platform Transcription
To tackle this challenge, we are collaborating with Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley on an exciting new project: a fully integrated, in-platform transcription solution within the Unique IQ system.
This brand-new technology enables care teams to:
- Capture consultation conversations seamlessly
- Generate detailed notes and care plan drafts automatically
- Have transcripts and notes flow directly into Unique IQ’s system
- Eliminate reliance on third-party transcription tools
- Maintain full governance, auditability and data security under one system
As early adopters, Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley are already seeing significant efficiency gains, with Care Managers spending far less time handwriting or typing notes from scratch. This allows staff to focus more on client interaction, decision-making, and quality oversight.
The team highlighted the benefits of switching from handwritten notes to audio-captured transcription:
“We can ensure we capture the discussion more accurately… and conversations are free to flow without pauses for scribes to catch up.”
By integrating transcription natively within Unique IQ, we’re helping reduce administrative time dramatically while ensuring accuracy, consistency and compliance, all crucial for a franchise dedicated to safe, personalised home care.
This project demonstrates how embedded tools can support AI in social care without compromising quality or governance.
What’s Next for AI in Social Care
Alongside transcription, Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley have also been piloting our advanced AI-driven care auditing models, and their feedback has been powerful. In addition to reviewing logs, identifying risks, and supporting quality oversight, the AI is also helping care managers co-author care plans by generating structured drafts and tailored recommendations based on consultation discussions and client information.
During their pilot, AI automatically reviewed log notes, identified risks, flagged concerns in real time, and even compared observations against client information to track behavioural changes or emerging support needs. As they described:
“Risks are flagged in real time… Staff can react far quicker, ensuring the correct measures are put in place.”
This aligns perfectly with our upcoming product launches:
AI-enhanced auditing that analyses care logs, highlights risks, and supports quality teams in making faster, more informed decisions.
AI-powered support for care managers and teams, offering suggestions, insights, summaries and co-authoring capabilities for care plans – helping reduce admin workload even further.
These ai tools are now available to all Unique IQ customers, but Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley have been instrumental early partners, helping shape real-world use cases.
A Shared Commitment: Technology That Protects Human Care
One of the most powerful sentiments from Home Instead was:
“We don’t want to replace human touch – we are striving to protect it.”
That philosophy reflects exactly why we build what we build. Our partnership is more than just a product collaboration – it’s a shared commitment to:
- Reducing administrative burden
- Strengthening accuracy and quality
- Supporting real-time decision making
- Freeing teams to spend more time face-to-face with clients
We’re proud to be supporting Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley on their digital transformation journey, and even more excited about what comes next. This collaboration highlights how thoughtfully applied AI in social care enhances – rather than replaces – the human relationships at the heart of care.
Looking Ahead
With in-platform transcription, IQ:careaudit, IQ:careassist and future AI-powered capabilities, we’re continuing to reinvent how care teams work – responsibly, securely and with a focus on human connection.
Thank you to Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley for your collaboration, your insight and your dedication to improving care through thoughtful innovation. We’re thrilled to be on this journey together.
About Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley
Home Instead Sheffield & Barnsley provide high-quality, relationship-led home care to older adults across South Yorkshire – from companionship and daily routines to more complex care needs. Their care model focuses on longer visits, continuity of support, and a deeply personalised approach that prioritises dignity, independence and human connection.
As an award-winning provider, they continue to set the benchmark for quality care and their willingness to embrace innovation ensures they remain at the forefront of transforming care delivery.
Ready to see how AI in social care can transform your organisation?
Get in touch with Unique IQ to explore AI-powered workflows and smarter care planning designed for real-world care teams.