A council has launched a digital assistant to broaden its provision of social care support.

Known as Maya, the AI-powered system launched by Rutland County Council on Monday (October 26) can help residents access information around social care services.

Maya has not replaced human-operated service lines but rather streamlined access to advice into a single "front door", according to Cllr Diane Ellison, who holds the portfolio for adults and health.

"The one major complaint we receive about adult social care is the number of times you have to provide the same details," Cllr Ellison told the LDRS.

"With Maya, we've tried to remove the duplication and increase consistency by setting up a single front door – one destination where people can ask for support and be directed to the appropriate place."

Maya is capable of sharing a broad range of information, according to the council, from how to stay independent and active to the equipment and household adaptations worth making at home.

But while competent, Cllr Ellison underlined the council's intention for the system to supplement social care support, rather than replace existing resources.

"We won't be losing any staff, just increasing what we can offer without requiring any more staff," Cllr Ellison continued.

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"We're streamlining. We've listened to residents, and now we're just trying to make finding basic information easier. People don't have to use it, there's still a perfectly functional phone line and we're happy to answer it."

The system can be accessed either on the council's website or via Whatsapp, offering 24-hour assistance – unlike to the council's phone lines, which operate only during business hours – in any language.

Cllr Ellison told the LDRS the system has been funded on an "invest to save" basis, receiving roughly £30,000 in order to save more by improving people's understanding of conditions to prevent further complications in the future.