Harrow Council and technology giant IBM have joined forces to provide an innovative ‘first-of-its-kind’ social care managing system to residents in the borough and beyond.

A ten year agreement with IBM Watson Health – the American company’s artificial intelligence specialist health division - was announced by the council on Thursday, and is believed to be the first deal of its kind between a global corporation and a local authority.

The council’s My Community e-Purse system enables people with social care needs to choose the best services to suit their needs, with the help of their social care managers.

With the backing of IBM Watson Health, the data collecting power of the e-Purse will be magnified exponentially, enabling the system to make more accurate suggestions as a result.

A prototype of the system, which calculates personal social care budgets and enables more informed decision making, is currently being operated by the council, with around 1,000 users accessing the e-Purse to make their own social care choices.

Councillor Anne Whitehead, chair of the project board, said: "There are a thousand people in Harrow who are already benefiting from personal budgets through a pioneering system developed locally.

“With this partnership, we'll be able to bring those benefits to millions of people across the country, and perhaps globally too."

Social care costs account for around 35 per cent of the council’s budget, and this is set to increase with an ageing population

The plan was devised to cut red tape surrounding the acquisition of social care for individuals, reduce time spent by social care managers doing administrative work, and save the council money, all while providing easier access and greater choice to service users.

Access to Care Quality Commission reports on the care providers is also supplied through the programme, allowing customers to choose care based on quality as well as location and price.

Various NHS trusts have apparently also expressed an interest in acquiring the system.

Harrow Council chief executive 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.”