Lifeways appoints Adam Catlow as its first-ever Head of Data & AI

Lifeways, the UK’s largest provider of support for people with complex needs in the community, has appointed its first-ever Head of Data & AI. 

Adam Catlow, based in Birmingham, takes on the newly created role, which will build on Lifeways’ success in using data and AI to enhance operations and improve the delivery of person-centred care across its services nationwide. 

“I’m really proud to have joined Lifeways at such an exciting time. I’m looking forward to exploring how data and AI can help us work smarter, improve our processes and ultimately support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care across all our services. 

“AI has huge potential in social care, particularly when it comes to the work that happens behind the scenes. It can help our colleagues work more effectively, strengthen the way we deliver support and, most importantly, help keep people safe - often without the people we support even knowing it’s there.” 

The appointment follows growing recognition for Lifeways’ AI Support Plan Quality Checker, an innovative tool that has transformed the way support plans are reviewed. By replacing manual, inconsistent processes with a standardised and scalable technological solution, the tool helps improve consistency, quality and efficiency across support plan reviews. 

The innovation has earned Lifeways recognition across the sector, with the organisation shortlisted for the Digital Excellence in Care Awards, the UK IT Industry Awards and the National Care Awards. 

“I think our AI Support Plan Quality Checker is a great example of how AI can enhance what we do. It reviews support plans against our standards to help ensure they meet the quality we expect,” continued Adam. 

“The next logical step is to explore how AI can support colleagues when they’re writing those plans. That doesn’t mean AI writing support plans for us, but rather assisting people at the point of submission – acting as a critical friend by identifying where a plan could better reflect the person’s voice, highlight elements of an assessment that may have been missed, or prompt colleagues to consider whether something has been left out.” 

Adam stressed that while AI can play a valuable role in improving processes and supporting colleagues, it can never replace the human judgement and accountability that are fundamental to delivering care. 

He said: “Humans should always remain accountable for the care they provide and be the decision-makers. Whether it’s someone developing a strategy or a Service Manager reviewing a draft support plan, the responsibility for the decisions being made and the impact on the person receiving support must always sit with a human. 

“AI can be incredibly powerful when it comes to summarising information, analysing data and supporting writing and communication. But when you combine these capabilities with human judgement, you get the best of both worlds. AI can process information quickly, while people bring the instinct, experience and understanding to ultimately make informed decisions about the care they provide.” 

Andy Ferrington, Chief Information Officer at Lifeways, added: “Adam’s appointment is an exciting step for Lifeways as we continue to explore how data and AI can support our teams and enhance the delivery of high quality, person-centred care. 

“We’re already seeing how technology can improve our processes and help us deliver better outcomes for the people we support. Adam brings valuable expertise to this work, and I’m excited to see what the future holds as we continue to explore the potential of data and AI in social care.”