About this course
AI has arrived in adult social care as care planning software that drafts notes, sensors that listen for a fall at night, apps that estimate pain from a face, and tools that write rotas and policies. Some of it gives staff time back. Some of it watches people in their own bedrooms.
On 21 May 2026 the Care Quality Commission published its first statement on AI. There is no separate AI rulebook: CQC will look at AI through the existing regulations and fundamental standards. It expects AI to support human decisions and not replace them, people to be told and given a choice, staff to be trained, and providers to stay accountable.
This course turns that into what a care worker and a manager should do. The second module is about the person: consent, capacity, privacy and dignity, and what to do when a tool is wrong or simply not wanted.
What you will be able to do
- Describe the main uses of AI in adult social care
- State what the Care Quality Commission expects of providers using AI
- Explain why a provider stays accountable whatever a tool recommends
- Check an AI drafted care record before it is saved
- Explain what people must be told and the choice they must have
- Apply the Mental Capacity Act to monitoring technology
- Recognise when monitoring threatens privacy and dignity
- Know how to raise a concern about an AI tool
Modules
Assessment and certificate
Knowledge check after each module and a final assessment at 80 per cent, with unlimited attempts.
A digital certificate, issued the moment you have passed and paid, showing 1.5 CPD hours with a verification code. It evidences knowledge of the safe and respectful use of AI in adult social care. It is not a regulated qualification, it does not evidence practical competence, and your employer's policies and training on its own systems still apply.
Questions
Does CQC have rules about AI?
Not a separate set. In its statement of 21 May 2026 CQC said it will look at AI through the existing regulations and fundamental standards, particularly safe care and treatment and good governance. Using AI does not decide an inspection outcome; how it is governed and used does.
Can we use sensors in someone's room without asking?
No. People must be told what is being used and why, and given a choice, with an alternative that does not rely on the technology. If a person lacks capacity to decide, the Mental Capacity Act applies: a best interests decision, the least restrictive option, and consideration of whether the arrangements amount to a deprivation of liberty.
The care planning software wrote the note. Do I still need to check it?
Yes. CQC expects AI output to be monitored and evaluated by trained staff, and the record is yours once you save it. Check it says what actually happened, in particular anything about medicines, falls, food and fluids, and what the person said.
Can I use an AI app on my own phone to write up visits?
Not unless your employer has approved it. A tool you chose yourself is not covered by your employer's data protection arrangements, and care notes are among the most sensitive information there is.