 IBM Watson Health and Harrow Council announced a 10-year agreement to use cognitive technologies to help people with personalised social care needs choose the best services. The commercial agreement signed on 08 Sep 2016 is the first of its kind with a UK local authority, and marks the first implementation of Watson Care Manager outside of the USA. Using Harrow Council's expertise and innovations in adult social care, IBM will enhance Watson Care Manager to enable individuals and caregivers to quickly and easily select the most appropriate provider that can deliver the services they need, using their allocated personal budget. Many social and health programmes globally require personal budgets, and Watson Care Manager's new functionality could simplify that process for individuals beyond Harrow and the UK. Harrow Council CEO, Michael Lockwood, said: "This is the technology that every organisation is looking for as use of personal health and social care budgets increases. It will help us deliver better services with better outcomes, all for less cost. It will save money, reduce waste in the system and give people more control and flexibility over what care and health services they and their loved ones receive." IBM Director of Social Programs, Martin Duggan, said: "Tailoring Watson Care Manager to the needs of the UK will result in new choices being available to other local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups across the country. Harrow have consistently taken an innovative approach to delivering services, which makes Watson Care Manager a natural fit in advancing greater personalisation and data-driven efficiency." |