Swindon Borough Council's experience of giving time back to social workers

For social workers, time matters.

Even a few extra minutes with someone can make a real difference. Whether that’s asking one more question or giving someone space to be heard. 

At Swindon Borough Council’s Community Led Support team, social workers wanted to spend more time with people, but were increasingly pulled into paperwork.

So, over four months, they trialled Notes across 184 frontline meetings to see if they could reduce the amount of time spent on admin. 

The challenge

Admin was taking time away from care 

Social workers were trying to capture key details during conversations, then spending hours afterwards turning those notes into formal write-ups. Completing assessments manually added to the admin load. As a result, less time was spent on conversations with the people they support.

Some social workers faced bigger barriers

For practitioners with learning difficulties, visual impairments, or where English isn’t their first language, the process could take even longer. Admin was adding extra pressure, making it harder to keep up and feel confident in their work. 

The approach

Between April and July 2024, 19 social workers and a leadership support officer from Swindon Borough Council’s Community Led Support team trialled Notes.

Staff used Notes for Care Act Assessments, Mental Capacity Assessments, and other supporting conversations. 

To make sure the tool fit into their existing workflows, two bespoke templates were developed specifically for the team.

The impact 

More time for what matters

By reducing admin time by 63%, Notes gave social workers more time to focus on the person in front of them. 

Tasks that once took up most of the day became far more manageable. Care Act Assessments dropped from around an hour and a half to just 35 minutes, and write-ups reduced from up to four hours to closer to an hour and a half. 

Higher quality assessments 

With Notes capturing the conversation, practitioners could be more present, listening closely and asking follow-up questions. This resulted in better-quality assessments that better reflected the person’s voice.

A better experience for social workers

Social workers reported feeling less stressed by the admin and more able to focus on the parts of the role that played to their strengths. 100% of practitioner swho took part in the pilot said they  want to continue using Notes.

“I love Notes, it makes write-ups much less stressful. There will be lots of distressed social workers if we lose it!”

“This tool has made me feel on equal terms with my colleagues”

Social workers with learning difficulties or visual impairments described feeling more able to keep up with their workload and more confident in their output.

“I'm dyslexic - I'm much more productive with Notes. It helps my thoughts not get stuck, takes away confusion from mind and reduces anxiety.”

It also supported those working in a second language, making it easier to communicate and capture information accurately.

“It's good where English is not your first language. It helps people from diverse backgrounds and supports diverse communication and communities.”

Give your team more time for what matters

Book a demo to see how Notes can help your team spend less time on admin and more time with people.