Adult social care in the UK is under unprecedented pressure – rising demand, workforce shortages and increasing complexity of needs are forcing the sector to rethink how care is delivered and sustained.
Looking ahead, artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven technology are rapidly becoming integral to the future of care.
However, as AI takes on a greater role in assessing risk, predicting need and supporting decision-making, it is vital that innovation is guided by strong ethical principles. In social care, where decisions directly impact people’s safety, dignity and independence, technology must enhance human care, not replace it.
Peter Kerly, Managing Director at Everon UK discusses the importance of ethical AI and how human supervision is essential to building trust, safeguarding vulnerable individuals and ensuring better outcomes for the care sector.
How AI can facilitate more effective care
AI has the potential to be transformative and when applied responsibly. It can help care providers move from reactive to proactive models of care, identifying changes in behaviour or health before they escalate into crises.
Technology is already playing a significant role in care delivery across many aspects. Wearable devices and at-home sensors are being used to monitor vitals, movement and sleep patterns, helping carers identify risks like falls or health irregularities before they escalate.
Digital dashboards and centralised care records are also widely utilised, improving real-time visibility for care teams, reducing duplication and enabling more coordinated care for patients. Alongside this, automation is supporting care workers by handling routine administrative tasks such as compliance reporting and documentation, freeing up time for direct, in-person visits.
These insights support better planning, more targeted interventions and smarter use of limited resources. For care teams under strain, AI can reduce administrative burden, improve visibility across services and help prioritise those most in need. Used correctly, it strengthens the system and supports frontline professionals to focus on what matters most: delivering compassionate, person-centred care.
A predictive and preventative approach
The next phase of AI in social care lies in predictive analytics using existing data to anticipate risk and intervene earlier. This shift from reactive response to preventative insight is central to the future sustainability of the system.
This approach is highlighted in a new whitepaper launched in partnership with leading health tech provider, Howz, revealing that disrupted sleep is strongly correlated with increased fall risk, reduced resilience and wider deterioration in wellbeing.
The report, “Independent Living, Intelligent Insight: The Role of Evercare in the Next Generation of TECS”, highlights how wearable technology and machine learning analytics can transform reactive telecare into a proactive, preventative model.
Crucially, it moves beyond the limitations of much existing technology, which typically alerts care teams only once an incident has already occurred. Instead, the study demonstrates how continuous, round-the-clock monitoring of routines, mobility and sleep patterns can surface early warning signs of health or wellbeing decline, enabling timely intervention before incidents happen.
Supporting the findings, Everon and Howz have launched Evercare, a new digital service that provides round-the-clock behavioural analytics using data drawn from existing wearable and pendant devices. By analysing movement, routines and sleep patterns, Evercare enables care teams to identify anomalies, assess risk and intervene earlier, often before an incident occurs – often days or weeks before a fall, crisis or emergency call would traditionally trigger a response.
These insights support better planning, more targeted interventions and smarter use of limited resources. However, the value of AI lies not in automation alone, but in how it is applied within an ethical framework.
Ethical challenges for AI in social care
Social care data is both sensitive and personal, reflecting people’s health, behaviours, living environments and daily routines. This places a clear ethical responsibility on the sector to handle data with care, transparency and purpose, ensuring it is used not simply because it is available but because it delivers meaningful benefit to the individual.
One of the most significant risks associated with AI is systematic bias. AI systems learn from historical data which can reflect existing inequalities, system disparities or unintentional prejudices present in previous decision-making. Without careful design choices, continuous monitoring and refinement, AI tools can inadvertently reinforce disadvantages or generate unfair outcomes for certain groups, particularly those who are already marginalised.
Explainability is also important. For example, if an AI system flags a risk or recommends a change in care, professionals must be able to understand the reasoning behind it. Transparency enables care teams to scrutinise recommendations, challenge anomalies and exercise informed judgement rather than following algorithmic outputs. It also allows service users and their families to understand the decisions affecting them, fostering trust and confidence in digital tools.
The importance of human monitoring
Despite its potential, AI cannot and should not operate in isolation. Social care is shaped by individual circumstances, relationships, values and lived experience, and AI must therefore be designed to support professional judgement, not override it.
Human surveillance is critical in ensuring that AI-driven insights are interpreted appropriately and applied with empathy and contextual understanding. Care professionals remain accountable for decisions, safeguarding responsibilities and outcomes. This surveillance also plays a vital role in mitigating risks such as bias, over-reliance on automation or misinterpretation of data.
Transparency and trust are equally important, individuals receiving care must understand how technology is used, what data is collected and how it benefits them. Ethical AI is as much about communication and accountability as it is about innovation.
As demand for social care continues to rise, the sector must embrace innovation but not at the expense of its core values. Ethical AI, supported by strong human oversight, offers a way forward in care settings that balances efficiency with empathy, insight with integrity.
To download a copy of the new report, please visit: everon.net/blog/independent-living-intelligent-insight-the-role-of-evercare-in-the-next-generation-of-tecs/
