Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust is one of the first NHS Trusts in the UK to welcome a cleaning robot to its staff, thanks to its partnership with Medirest.

Medirest chose the trust to trial their first UK cleaning robot just over a year ago and found that Ella, the cleaning robot, improved quality, consistency of cleaning and received a positive reaction from staff. The robot is programmed to clean large floor areas and uses 70 per cent less water with fewer chemicals than traditional cleaning methods.

Ella’s design includes some smart safety features. She uses a clever scrub and dry system that leaves no water trail, unlike conventional cleaning machines that leave a residue. This removes the need for wet floor warning signs that restrict space on corridors. Built in alert systems also help Ella to detect people approaching from behind and in front, allowing her to come to a halt if beds or trolleys need to move past.

Jacqui Tingle, director of Infection Prevention and Control at Royal Surrey, said: “Ella is a valuable and welcome addition to support our Medirest housekeeping team who all work incredibly hard to keep the trust spotlessly clean and safe for patients and staff. We always aim for extremely high standards of cleanliness at all times and robotic technology is an important element in continually achieving this across a large site.”