HelpFirst: June update
Focusing on our mission; Unbundling complex issues; Catch up on events & links
Image: Andy Bell speaking at AI for Good, a TechNExt event in Newcastle, on 19th June
Hello and welcome to this month’s update from HelpFirst!
Progress and success
We continue to roll out our ‘intelligent case notes’ product at the CAS Extra Help Unit. Feedback from the User Strategy Group is now unanimous that having HelpFirst is beneficial and that the system deserves to be rolled out across the organisation. We are getting very positive responses from caseworkers saying they are now less stressed about missing something important in a case.
We’re about to embark on a new project which we can’t talk about publicly yet… But we’re really excited about working with this organisation, and the impact of what we’re hoping to achieve together!
We’ve applied to the NHS Innovation framework to explore use cases for HelpFirst in 111 and mental health care. We’ve also had the pleasure of advisory support from Ian Porée on other opportunities in the public and third sector.
Focusing on our mission
We got together for a 2-day team meet-up to discuss various elements of our strategy and ways of working (and have some bonding time!)
In the midst of business, it can be hard to assess new opportunities: sometimes we talk to an organisation we love but we don’t quite believe in the project. Sometimes vice versa. We conducted a workshop on assessing new project opportunities against our mission and values. We came away with a framework for future reference:
What’s the impact on end users: will they net benefit?
What’s the data set like?
Are we confident of being able to co-create and address concerns with the client?
Are our values likely to align with the client’s values, now and in future?
How do we feel about the direction this would take our product? Would it benefit our potential future client base?
At the end of the day, we are looking to work on projects that exhibit a laser focus on casework and benefits for end users.
Unbundling complex issues
Citizens Advice Scotland supports clients with a huge range of issues. We're investigating how LLMs can support CAS's dedicated advisors and meet the diverse needs of their clients. Lucy explores some common problems, potential solutions, and explains our chosen path for a prototype.
Also, we welcomed Albert Bezman on an initial sprint to help us develop a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system for this. (Listen to this ‘No Priors’ podcast episode for an interesting discussion on the value and future of RAG vs fine tuning.)
Events
19th July: Andy will be speaking at the DigiLeaders monthly AI Lounge
2nd & 16th July: We’re hoping to make it to CivicAI’s event AI for Government and their Unconference
Catch up: Watch the recording of Angela on Zoa’s panel, “The Role of AI in Electrification”, chaired by Rory Cellan-Jones
Interesting links
CivTech 10 is coming soon! Read this interview with Barbara Mills, on CivTech’s approach to sparking ingenuity in the public sector - which definitely chimes with our fantastic experience of receiving support from them.
Customer services is now one of the top 5 most promising areas for generative AI, according to Bain & Company.
Over 70% of government bodies have already deployed, or are actively piloting or planning AI, a recent survey by the National Audit Office finds.
However, party manifestos barely mention plans to harness digital & data for public services. UKAuthority’s article suggests this is because of a lack of interest amongst politicians - it’s not a vote winner.
This month’s ask
We’re researching the challenges of legacy case management systems, and what organisations need to see on the market. If you know anyone who is a stakeholder in a casework service (advice organisation, helpline, social services) and interested in this area - please put us in touch!
Best wishes,
Andy