According to Dorset Council, the trial had significant success at five of the six care homes taking part.
Alexandros Gavriilidis, strategic commissioning lead at the council, said AI technology has a big part to play in the care sector: “It has changed the way care is being delivered at night, reducing the need for scheduled checks.
“This leads to better night-time routines, better sleep. And reacting on information provided by the system, is having a very positive effect on residents’ wellbeing and sleep patterns.”
The cost of the trial was met by the government’s Digitising Social Care Digital Transformation Fund which ran up to March 2025.
A spokesperson for Department of Health and Social Care said: “We will look to deliver guidance and standards for the care sector to make clear which of these [technologies] are fit for purpose, so all care providers can invest in and benefit from technology in the long term.”
The spokesperson added that more details about phase 2 of the project will be set out in due course.
Thomas Tredinnick, CEO of Ally the company that developed the sensors, said the system “wasn’t about replacing care teams” but gave “teams better visibility at night, so they could respond earlier, reduce harm and protect residents’ rest”.