UK Home Care Provider to Expand Use of Smart Robots in People’s Homes
One of the UK’s leading home care companies, Cera Care, is significantly scaling up its use of robotic care technology after successful earlier trials, with the aim of transforming how care is delivered to older and vulnerable people.
Following pilots carried out this year, Cera has acquired the GenieConnect platform, the technology behind the robots it has been testing in people’s homes. The company says this move will allow it to roll the system out more widely across its own services and license it to other care providers over the next 18 months.
The GenieConnect robots support users by providing regular reminders to eat, drink and take medication, helping people with memory difficulties, including those with dementia, to manage daily routines more consistently. The pilots showed a 96 per cent success rate for medication reminders, indicating strong potential to improve adherence and independence.
In addition to reminders, the robots can be programmed by care teams, family or friends to prompt patients about appointments, family events and scheduled visits, which can help reduce feelings of isolation and strengthen connections with loved ones and carers. They also log responses to prompts, giving care staff valuable insight into an individual’s wellbeing and helping inform future care decisions.
Cera says the technology can boost care capacity by up to 20 per cent by monitoring people’s activity and wellbeing without the need for a physical or virtual check-in each time — letting carers focus their time where it’s most needed.
For local authorities and integrated care boards, the robots are priced at around £120 per month per licence, with Cera estimating potential annual savings of about £3,768 per person compared with more traditional in-home care models. Multiplied across larger patient groups, this could translate into significant savings for the health and social care system.
More than a dozen councils and around 30 care providers have already trialled the technology, and some, such as Lincolnshire County Council, have integrated the robots into rehabilitation care packages. Users report feeling more reassured, independent and connected, with reduced reliance on direct carer visits.
Cera also plans to integrate GenieConnect’s software with its own AI-driven care data systems to improve preventative care, outcomes and quality of support for older and vulnerable adults.
