Summarise long case notes for handovers

The problem

A colleague is going on leave and you're taking over their caseload. There are 50 pages of case notes for one person alone. You need to understand the key history, current situation, and what's been tried before, but reading everything would take hours you don't have.

The solution

Use Claude or ChatGPT to create layered summaries of case notes. Start with a one-page overview, then drill into specific areas as needed. The AI can pull out key events, current risks, what's working, and what's been tried. You get up to speed in minutes rather than hours, then read the original notes for anything that needs more detail.

What you get

A structured summary with: key background (one paragraph), current situation, main risks or concerns, what's been tried and what worked, and recommended next steps. You can ask follow-up questions about specific aspects or time periods.

Before you start

• Case notes in a digital format you can copy and paste
• A Claude or ChatGPT account (paid tiers strongly recommended - free tiers will have the option to train on your data)
• Authorisation to use AI tools with this type of data (check your data protection policy)

When to use this

• You're taking over cases from a colleague and need to get up to speed quickly
• You're preparing for a review meeting and need to refresh your memory
• A case has been open for years and the notes are overwhelming
• You need to brief a manager or external professional on a complex case

When not to use this

• The case involves highly sensitive safeguarding information that shouldn't leave your system
• Your organisation's data protection policy doesn't permit AI tools for case data
• You need a legally defensible summary for court or tribunal proceedings
• The notes are short enough to just read (under 10 pages)

Steps

1. 1

   Check you can use AI for this data

   Before uploading anything, check your organisation's policy on using AI tools with case data. Some organisations have approved specific tools or have guidelines about what can be shared. If in doubt, ask your data protection lead. You may need to anonymise names and identifying details first.

2. 2

   Prepare the case notes

   Copy the case notes into a document. If they're very long, you might need to do this in chunks. Remove or replace names and identifying details if your policy requires it. Keep a note of what you've anonymised so you can make sense of the summary.

3. 3

   Ask for a high-level overview first

   Paste the notes into Claude or ChatGPT and ask: "These are case notes for a client I'm taking over. Please give me a one-page summary covering: key background, current situation, main concerns or risks, what support has been provided, and what seems to be working or not working."

4. 4

   Drill into specific areas

   Based on the overview, ask follow-up questions: "Tell me more about the housing situation" or "What's the history with mental health services?" or "What happened in the last 3 months?" The AI can pull out specific threads from the notes.

5. 5

   Ask for a timeline if helpful

   For complex cases, ask: "Create a timeline of key events and interventions." This helps you see how things have progressed and what triggered changes, which isn't always obvious from reading notes chronologically.

6. 6

   Verify anything critical in the original notes

   The summary is a starting point, not a replacement for professional judgement. For anything risk-related or that you'll act on, go back to the original notes to check the details. AI can miss nuance or context that matters.

Tools

Resources

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