Richmond and Wandsworth Councils have launched a three-month pilot with Tovie AI to test a new digital service designed to support unpaid carers. This group often delays seeking help until reaching a crisis point.
The service provides 24/7 access to advice, assessments, and signposting through a friendly online conversational bot that works via voice or text. It guides carers through simple questions about their needs and offers tailored recommendations for local services and resources in each borough. When a more complex situation arises, the system seamlessly escalates to a member of the council’s social care team.
The pilot builds on previous work between the councils and Tovie AI in occupational therapy and adult social care, where voice-based automation helped reduce administrative burden and improve resident engagement.
By making support more accessible and immediate, we hope to identify carers earlier and connect them with the right services before they reach breaking point,” said Steve Shaffelburg, Senior Commissioning Manager for Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. “The technology gives us another way to listen and respond, while ensuring that qualified staff can focus on more complex cases.”
The tool is designed to complement, not replace, human support. Carers who prefer to speak directly with a professional can still do so; meanwhile, social care teams benefit from real-time information that helps them prioritise responses more efficiently.
Unpaid carers in each borough can access the assessment portals here: Richmond and Wandsworth.
Both platforms offer the same streamlined experience while tailoring guidance to local services and community resources.
This project emphasises the value of AI and automation in public services,” said Joshua Kaiser, CEO of Tovie AI. “It allows councils to scale support for crucial members of the community at a time when budgets are tight and one-to-one support isn’t always possible.”
The pilot follows earlier successful trials of Tovie AI’s outbound calling bots within Adult Social Care, where more than 70% of calls led to successful outcomes and freed significant staff time. Together, these initiatives are part of Richmond and Wandsworth’s wider efforts to explore how automation can enhance frontline services while keeping people at the centre.