Compass Group Uses Cleaning Robots to Support NHS

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• Compass Group Uses Cleaning Robots to Support NHS

01 July 2021 | Updated 30 June 2021

Medirest, the healthcare division of Compass Group UK & Ireland, is introducing 12 brand new cleaning robots to support several NHS hospitals across the UK.

Medirest has partnered with cleaning innovation specialist, Killis, to develop the innovative technology which is ideally suited to the large open areas in hospitals. The team has been successfully trialling three of the robots within partner hospitals for just over one year now.

Designed to support Medirest’s team of over 3,000 cleaners, the robots enhance repetitive cleaning procedures in open spaces such as corridors, freeing up other team members to focus on touchpoints and cross infection hot spots forming the perfect “cobotics” relationship.

What Does Cobotics Mean?

Cobotics is the joining of the words “cooperation” and “robotics” and is used to differentiate between industrial robots and cobots.

The simplest way to understand how cobots and industrial robots differ is that cobots are designed to work alongside human employees, while industrial robots do work in place of those employees. Cobots are also more easily programmable than industrial robots because they are capable of “learning” on the job.

Less Water and Fewer Chemicals

The technology incorporates a scrubber dryer system, which typically uses 70 per cent less water and fewer chemicals than traditional cleaning methods, perfect to help trusts to operate more sustainably, as well as contribute towards Compass Group UK & Ireland’s Climate Net Zero targets.

The robots are active in several hospitals including Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, with more hospitals across the UK signing up to use the technology - currently exclusive to Medirest.

Anna Hallas, National Domestic Lead for Medirest commented: “Following independent trials with three hospitals, our teams have come to the same conclusion that the robot technology has delivered improved quality, consistency of cleaning, productivity and fantastic reaction from staff and visitors to the hospitals. This tech will really help our other team members focus on the more intricate and in-depth cleaning, so we’re thrilled to be the first to bring this to our NHS partners.”

Steven Cenci, Managing Director, Compass Group UK & Ireland – Healthcare added: “The pandemic has brought recognition for the amazing work our people do in helping to keep hospitals across the country clean. The introduction of the cleaning robots will further support this work, and we’re looking forward to introducing more with our partners over the coming months.” 

The first robot has been named in memory of Medirest colleague Hanzel Gardener who sadly lost his life during the COVID-pandemic. Hanzel did a significant amount of work in developing robotic technology for the organisation and was a much-loved member of the Medirest team.

Picture: a photograph of some of the Medirest robots

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 01 July 2021

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