Elevating occupational therapists through AI in primary care

In this session

In this session ‘Elevating occupational therapists through AI in primary care; our journey in Somerset,’ Claire Guyatt facilitated a conversation with occupational therapists Sophie Lonsdale, Helen Rostron, and GP Dr Matthew Dolman about their innovative use of artificial intelligence in primary care. 

Dr Dolman explained how their journey began about ten years ago when he recognized the potential of harnessing primary care data sitting in ‘black boxes’ in GP surgeries. Working with a start-up company, they developed ‘Brave AI’ - a system that analyses GP data to predict a person's risk of hospital admission with 97% accuracy. This predictive capability allows healthcare teams to intervene proactively before people reach crisis points. 

The speakers demonstrated how Brave AI works by visualizing population data and identifying individuals at risk. The system can display data for thousands of people and allow practitioners to filter and focus on specific groups who might benefit from intervention. This represents a significant shift from traditional referral-based systems to proactive, population-based healthcare. 

Sophie Lonsdale described how she uses Brave AI in her primary care role to identify older adults, particularly those over 80, who aren't already known to health services but might benefit from preventative interventions. Rather than waiting for referrals, she can proactively find people who might need support, helping them build robust networks and systems to maintain their independence and avoid health crises. This approach allows her team to generate about 90% of their work directly from the Brave AI system. 

Helen Rostron shared how working with Brave AI in care homes has transformed her practice. By using the system to identify residents who might not otherwise be flagged for attention – especially those who are quiet, perhaps bed-bound, and not regularly seeing their GP – she has found her ‘golden nuggets’ of opportunity for intervention. She explained how her team developed a traffic light system to prioritize residents based on their risk of hospital admission. 

The impact of this approach has been significant. In their 18-month pilot across 35 care homes, they reduced A&E attendance by 60%, falls by 35%, and ambulance call-outs by 8.7%. Helen shared the powerful story of ‘Joan,’ a care home resident flagged by the system who benefited enormously from OT intervention focusing on postural management, function, and orthotics – interventions that might otherwise have been missed. 

Sophie emphasized how the people they contact proactively often express relief that health professionals are reaching out to them. Many are hesitant to ‘bother’ busy GP surgeries, so they appreciate professionals finding them and initiating conversations about how health issues impact their daily lives. Sophie is starting to see statistically significant improvements in her outcome measures, showing reductions in GP face-to-face interactions and home visits. 

Dr Dolman highlighted the importance of measuring outcomes scientifically. While powerful individual stories demonstrate the human impact, data is essential for scaling innovations. The speakers' success has led to Brave AI being expanded to 30 other areas in the South West, potentially reaching 1.5 million patients. 

The presenters agreed that this approach elevates occupational therapists as leaders in healthcare. Dr Dolman acknowledged that working closely with occupational therapists had transformed his understanding of their role and the value they bring to integrated teams. Helen emphasized that occupational therapists are well-positioned to shift healthcare from a medical model to a social and public health model. 

The session concluded with key messages from each speaker. Dr Dolman encouraged attendees not to be nervous about data and AI but to develop confidence through learning. He emphasized that while the technology is important, the focus remains on people, families, and teams. 

Sophie advised viewing AI as a valuable addition to your toolkit that enables better service delivery by helping to find the people in communities who most need support. She stressed that AI doesn't replace professional judgment but enhances it. 

Helen encouraged occupational therapists to ‘look up’ beyond their immediate settings to understand local, regional, and national developments. She emphasized building a supportive network of allies and taking time to document processes so knowledge can be passed on. She quoted from the Elizabeth Casson lecture, ‘If you lack confidence, remember we become brave by doing.’ 

Throughout the session, the speakers conveyed their enthusiasm for how AI is revolutionizing their practice. They presented it not as a threatening technology but as a liberating tool that allows occupational therapists to practice in more preventative, person-centred ways. They emphasized the importance of integration across healthcare teams, with occupational therapists playing a crucial role in these integrated neighbourhood teams – a direction aligned with national healthcare policy. 

The session illustrated how digital technologies can enhance rather than detract from personalised care, enabling healthcare professionals to target their limited resources more effectively and intervene before people reach crisis points. It showcased occupational therapists as leaders in innovation who can harness new technologies to elevate their practice and improve outcomes for the people they serve.