Neath Port Talbot Council’s Digital and Adult Services Teams have won a national award for their innovative use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in transforming the way Adult Social Care staff engage with residents.
The teams picked up the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) 2025 Award in the Best Innovation or Demand Management Initiative category in the annual APSE Awards held this year at the Marriott Hotel, Glasgow.
The award recognises the council’s transformational approach to the use of AI tools in supporting the day-to-day tasks of social workers, with an emphasis on cutting the significant amount of time spent on administrative tasks and engagement with back-office teams.
Benefits have been realised through significantly reducing the administrative burden on social workers, cutting the amount of time spent on writing up case notes by 7.5 hours per week and speeding up the submission of case assessments by eight hours a week.
The council said the innovative approach enables Adult Social Care staff to provide higher-quality assessments in a more timely manner, allowing them to focus on delivering better quality care rather than being tied up with administrative tasks. Staff are able to focus on what matters most—building relationships and supporting individuals—while technology handles routine documentation and administrative tasks, the council said.
In addition, staff have seen an improvement in the quality and accuracy of meeting notes from their conversations with residents.
Cllr Jo Hale, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member Adult Social Services & Health, said:
“This award is a testament to the dedication of our teams and their commitment to embracing innovation. By harnessing AI, we’re not just improving efficiency—we’re enhancing the quality of care and freeing up our staff to focus on supporting residents.”
Cllr Simon Knoyle, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social Justice, said:
“I’d like to congratulate our hard-working Digital and Adult Services Teams for what is a fine example of the use of emerging technologies to make life better for our residents.
“I’m pleased our innovative approach to providing services for local people has been recognised with this UK-wide award.”
