How co-bots are creating a cleaner future at Barts Health
Over the past year, more cleaning co-bots (collaborative robots) have been moving through our hospital corridors. Not just as new pieces of equipment but a new way of working.
These intelligent machines are generally smaller and easier to programme than robots, which are designed to work independently.
Designed for safe interactions with humans, they’re introduced not to replace staff, but to work alongside them. Supported and guided by dedicated teams, co-bots are helping us build safer and cleaner environments for patients, visitors, and staff.
This technology is already delivering many benefits:
Putting staff wellbeing first
Behind every clean ward and hospital corridor is a team of people whose work is physically demanding. Tasks like scrubbing floors with heavy mops have taken a toll on staff health over time.
In the last year alone cleaning robots have taken on the more physically strenuous aspect of cleaning, creating a noticeable reduction in staff absences linked to musculoskeletal issues, falling from 8.5%-7.4%.
Beyond impacting physical health, staff are now engaging with new technology and learning how to operate and manage these machines, helping them to build confidence, develop new skills, and create a greater sense of empowerment in their roles.
Domestic assistant, Abigail, explained: “The machine takes care of all the heavy lifting, and it has made my job so much easier. Learning how to use, operate and clean it has taught me new skills. It has given me the time to focus on corners, edges and other areas that need extra attention without the physical strain of cleaning."
Strengthening our IPC standards
Co-bots bring a consistent level of reliability in cleanliness that’s difficult to achieve through manual processes alone.
Co-bots offer high-performance mechanical solutions, supporting staff to maintain high standards and ensure a safer clinical environment for our patients and visitors.
Driving sustainable change
Co-bots are already playing a huge role in helping us achieve our sustainability goals, by using 50% less water than standard mopping.
Extending this impact beyond our hospitals, for every litre of water saved, it is donated to communities in water-scarce regions across the world.
In addition, co-bots reduce the need for cleaning chemicals through more precise usage, and older machinery is being upcycled to reuse materials where possible.
Boosting productivity
Co-bots are helping teams work more effectively. By achieving quicker and deeper cleans, they’re saving our cleaning staff valuable time that can be reallocated to focus on the more detailed high touch areas of the hospital, that can only be done manually and reinvesting time into tasks that make a difference to patient care.
Training our staff to use these machines is a quick and accessible process. Staff can learn to operate a co-bot in as little as 30 minutes. Once in use, the impact is immediate and cleaning times for floors have been reduced by 25%.
Christine, domestics supervisor added: “My colleagues have really embraced this new technology. They have learnt so many new skills and are complaining much less in work about physical pain.
“Not only can you see the improvements on our wards, but you can also feel how it’s improved the working lives of our staff - they are much happier with using the co-bots.”
Together, our staff and co-bots are creating a future that is safer, more sustainable, and more efficient, to improve the day-to-day experience of our amazing teams who keep our hospitals running.