Suffolk County Council Transforms Social Care Practice with FormFlow AI

In August 2023, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) estimated that around 250,000 people were waiting for a care assessment in England, placing additional financial pressure on local authorities and further increasing the workload and administrative burden on frontline teams.

As a consequence, embracing working practices that enhance productivity and positively impact expenditure and wellbeing, while improving outcomes for those on the waiting list, is of paramount importance.

To support these aims, Suffolk County Council (Suffolk) conducted an in-depth trial with System C, evaluating how Liquidlogic FormFlow AI (FormFlow) could help practitioners navigate the increasing demand in the social care sector.

Undergoing the FormFlow Trial

Suffolk’s trial took place between September 2025 and January 2026. The programme aimed to explore how AI could support Suffolk’s frontline practice, reduce administrative burden, and improve the quality and timeliness of assessments.

The trial included social workers, independence and wellbeing practitioners, and occupational therapists. It was conducted with clear ethical safeguards in place, including ensuring people, carers and their families were informed and consented to recording, practitioners retained full editorial control over all outputs, and feedback loops were embedded to identify and correct transcription errors.

Identifying Initial Concerns and Navigating AI Adoption

At the start of the trial, senior social workers within Suffolk’s team had some reservations. The team were concerned that using AI could remove the human element of care and that recording conversations might negatively impact trust and the relationships with people, carers and their families.

“Social care is all about relationships. I was worried it would take us too far in the wrong direction,” said Chris Palmer, Senior Social Worker at Suffolk County Council.

“I was sceptical about being recorded and how that would affect relationships with people we were working with,” added Laura Palmer, Occupational Therapist at Suffolk County Council.

Concerns were also raised about the ability of AI to interpret nuanced or out-of-context responses, alongside fears of losing control over sensitive and confidential assessment content. However, these worries were quickly alleviated once the technology was put into practice.

An AI-Enabled Tool for Practitioners

FormFlow is embedded within the Liquidlogic Adults’ and Children’s Case Management solution and enables practitioners to capture audio recordings during assessments through an intuitive app. The solution uploads recordings securely and pre-populates the appropriate form, generating concise summaries that reflect practitioner concerns, family input, and proposed actions.

The AI also enables voice-to-text dictation, allowing practitioners to record reflections post-visit, even while on the move.

The solution was designed to support existing ways of working by reducing the administrative burden of assessments, while ensuring practitioners retained full control over professional analysis and decision-making and could spend more time focusing on the person at the centre of the plan.

Strengthening Practitioner Relationships

Despite initial concerns, practitioners embraced FormFlow and found that it enhanced relationships with the people they were caring for and their families. By reducing the need to focus on note-taking, practitioners were able to be more present, enabling more attentive and empathetic engagement.

“I can now spend more time with the person. Before, I was focusing so much on capturing information that I lost the personal element,” said Chris Palmer.

Recording conversations during assessments ensured practitioners could focus fully on people, carers and their families, maintaining eye contact and building trust. This presence enhanced rapport and contributed to better assessment outcomes.

The tool also allowed practitioners to better observe body language, mobility, posture and environment, rather than focusing on note-taking. This meant subtle indicators, such as using two hands to lift a mug, were more easily noticed. This was particularly important when working with people with dementia, where building trust and identifying patterns of behaviour is critical to accurate assessment.

“With dementia, people might have word-finding difficulties or repeat themselves. When you’re rushing to write notes, you miss that. Recording the conversation captures those pauses and patterns, which really matters,” said Diane Steels, Hospital-based Social Care Practitioner, Suffolk County Council.

Improving Assessment Quality and Preserving Professional Judgement Through Human-Centred AI

Following assessment meetings, conversation recordings were automatically uploaded into the Liquidlogic Case Management solution and used to complete the appropriate forms. This included pre-populating responses for scaled questions and narrative sections.

“It took all the information and put it into two or three short sentences that summed it up so well. I couldn’t have put it better myself,” said Chris Palmer.

“I’ve been really pleasantly surprised by how clever it is and how it brings out the right information,” added Laura Palmer.

Importantly, practitioners retained full control over content, with the ability to refine or amend AI-generated responses. They could replay relevant sections of recordings directly within the form, removing the need to scroll through handwritten notes or listen back to entire recordings.

“It’s really important we give the evidence for why we’re saying what we’re saying. FormFlow gets a lot of information out of the assessment,” said Chris Palmer.

“We’re still the ones in charge. FormFlow makes helpful suggestions, but you decide what stays in your assessment,” added Laura Palmer.

Enhanced Efficiency, Productivity and Wellbeing

All practitioners agreed that using FormFlow saved time, supporting wider trial results that demonstrated both efficiency gains and improved accuracy.

“I would say FormFlow has cut my recording time down by half. Meaning I’m able to do at least 40% more work,” mentioned Diane Steels.

The majority of productivity benefits came from reducing the time previously spent completing assessments using handwritten or typed notes. During the trial, the upload and transcription process happened in the background, allowing practitioners to continue with other tasks. Alerts notified them once forms were ready for review, streamlining workflows and reducing administrative bottlenecks.

Alongside productivity improvements, FormFlow also supported practitioner wellbeing by reducing administrative pressure and increasing confidence in assessment quality.

“The amount of work I’ve been able to get through has increased, but my stress levels have decreased,” said Diane Steels.

“I actually enjoy completing assessments now, which is something I never thought I’d say. Having the evidence there and knowing it’s accurate gives you a lot more confidence as a practitioner,” she added.

During the FormFlow trial, Suffolk were able to quantify expected non-cash releasing benefits, including time savings equating to £1,365,213.65, equivalent to 30 whole-time equivalents (WTE). These figures are drawn from the benefits calculator findings and reflect the realised efficiencies across the trial.

Staff reported that 50%–75% of assessments on average saw reduced completion times, decreasing from 1–2 hours to under 30–60 minutes. Other figures highlighted that 81.5% of all assessments were successfully completed within seven days.

The model demonstrates evidence-based time savings per practitioner that translate directly into increased assessment capacity. It is important to note that these benefits were realised without requiring more staff.

Supporting Practitioners with Disabilities

The trial also demonstrated how FormFlow could support a more inclusive and sustainable working environment, including for neurodivergent practitioners and those with physical or cognitive challenges.

“With my previous software, you had to go to each part of the assessment and dictate. FormFlow just puts it in, so I don’t have to move between sections; it’s much easier to dictate to a phone that transcribes everything,” said Amanda Nesbitt, Senior Social Worker, Suffolk County Council.

“I also really like the language FormFlow uses. We have someone in our team with dyslexia who struggles with writing assessments, and the language is professional and clear,” she added.

Aligning Information and Decisions Across Care Settings

FormFlow also supported practitioners working across acute health and statutory social care services.

Hospital-based practitioners completing Mental Capacity Assessments and Care Act assessments, and coordinating care with multidisciplinary teams, benefited from securely recording and transcribing conversations with ward staff, families and patients in real time, enabling practitioners to remain fully present during assessments while maintaining robust, person-centred documentation.

“A lot of the people I see have dementia and struggle with communication. Being able to look them in the eye and really spend that time with them builds trust. You simply can’t do that if you’re trying to write everything down,” said Diane Steels.

As a result, FormFlow supported more aligned decision‑making across health and social care. By helping practitioners translate clinical information into social care assessments, it reduced duplication, improved the flow of insights between clinical and social care contexts, and contributed to better discharge planning, leading to earlier discharges. Helping to bridge the gap between acute hospitals and community social care, supporting improved outcomes for people, carers and families.

“My mental capacity assessments are actually better because I’m more relaxed and more present. I’m thinking more clearly, asking better questions, and focusing fully on the person in front of me,” she added.

Future Plans and AI Development

The trial demonstrated how FormFlow can support responsible, user-centred AI adoption in social care. Suffolk’s experience demonstrated how productivity could be increased while preserving professional judgement and strengthening relationships with people, carers and families.

“If FormFlow was switched off tomorrow, I would cry. It’s become such an important tool for me. I would really struggle without it,” said Diane Steels.

These findings indicate that, when applied at scale, these time savings have the potential to be significant. For councils completing high volumes of assessments, this creates an opportunity to reduce the cost per assessment and increase capacity, enabling more residents to be supported without increasing pressure on frontline teams

Next Steps

Visit our website to explore our full range of AI solutions, including dedicated functionality for Adults’ Social Care and Children’s Social Care.

If you want to learn more about Adult Social Care budgets and waiting times, please take a look at the ADASS Autumn Survey.

You can also watch Suffolk County Council’s AI discussion to learn more about their FormFlow AI journey.

Please get in touch with our friendly team if you have any questions.