Since November 2023, Warwickshire Wheelchair Service (WWS) has been leading the way for SWFT by trialling the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in partnership with the Digital Hub. A new referral screening system using a chatbot virtual assistant is being piloted, where referred clients or their carers receive a phone call from ‘LOLA’ who completes their initial referral screening process using a WWS approved protocol.

‘LOLA’, created by Spanish company Tucuvi, is powered by empathetic AI to complete fluent telephone referral screening conversations with clients or their carers, to establish which pathways they need to be on.

Bridgit Vorster-Gibbons, Principal Occupational Therapist for In-patient Stroke and Warwickshire Wheelchair Services, said, “It has helped to release highly-skilled clinicians, who would otherwise spend three days a week screening referrals, back into the field to work directly with clients, helping us make full use of the skills that we have within our team.

“Feedback from our clients has been incredibly positive, not just due to the speed at which we are now dealing with their referrals, but also due to ‘LOLA’s intuitive, natural and authentic conversation style. This technology has been a real game changer for our service and is contributing significantly to the improvement of our Referral to Treatment figures.”

Petra Patty-Bradley, Innovation Lead at Innovate, added, “This innovation for the Warwickshire Wheelchair Service has decreased client referral-screening waiting times from over six weeks in some cases to just a couple of days. It has eliminated a long-standing backlog of referrals, and the service are now able to deal with their referrals as soon as they come in.

“With the introduction of ‘LOLA’, we are improving care delivery timelines and clients’ confidence in the service. This will not only ensure more timely access to care, but also enhances our patient experience.”

‘LOLA’ can be used to automate any protocol based clinical conversation. If you would like to understand more about this technology and it’s other potential uses, hear what ‘LOLA’ sounds like, or if you would like to explore the use of new technology within your department, please get in touch with the Digital Hub by emailing - mail@digital-hub.uk