Care home provider Oakland Care has strengthened its team with the strategic appointment of Tom Haslett as Head of AI.
The arrival of the digital leader marks the latest investment by the care home provider into technology, with Tom joining in a newly created role focused on leading the businesses AI adoption strategy across its care homes in London and the south-east of England.
The new hire will strengthen Oakland Care’s use of AI by bringing more than 20 years of experience in the technology sector – with the past five years dedicated specifically to driving large-scale business change through its application.
Prior to joining the care home provider, Tom was focused on transforming operations at a UK-headquartered software company, with initiatives delivering £1.2m in time-savings per year.
This was achieved through considered strategies focused on re-shaping how teams worked, with a priority on reducing repetitive tasks and generating AI-driven insights in order help re-align time towards high-value, human-centred, activities.
Alongside cost-savings, the work undertaken helped to strengthen customer engagement, reduce friction, and enable staff to focus on priority outcomes.
Within his new role at Oakland Care Tom is applying a similar responsible, people-centred, approach. In his position he will be focused on helping to ease administrative pressure, streamline tasks, and educate and empower team members – with a primary objective of freeing up time to focus on high-quality resident care delivery.
Tom Haslett, Head of AI at Oakland Care, said: “Joining Oakland Care at this moment – when the sector is evolving and expectations are rising – feels incredibly meaningful. I’m looking forward to helping shape how AI can uplift both the team members here and the wider care community, ensuring technology serves people, not the other way around.”
Joanne Balmer BEM, Chief Executive Officer of Oakland Care, said: “We are delighted to welcome Tom Haslett to Oakland Care. As a business we recognise the value that technology offers our care homes, both for improving resident experience and enhancing the working lives of our team members. This trailblazing hire further demonstrates our commitment to investing and implementing the latest technology.
Efforts have already begun with several AI initiatives across the business. An initial focus has been on marketing and recruitment, alongside the development of AI tools designed to deliver day-to-day time savings across every department, from care teams and hospitality to finance, HR, and corporate services.
