Missing Items, Stranded Stock, Swollen Shelves
The Triple Drain of NHS Care

When any one of these fails, patients wait and money leaks.

The Three Hidden Drains

Stock-outs

Even a single missing cannula can shatter a ward’s rhythm.  Every gap forces staff to abandon the bedside, stretching already thin rosters.

76%

Nurses face stock-outs regularly

23%

Nurses witnessed a patient harmed due to stock-outs

76%

Nurses face stock-outs regularly

23%

Nurses witnessed a patient harmed due to stock-outs

76%

Nurses face stock-outs regularly

23%

Nurses witnessed a patient harmed due to stock-outs

Transfers

A single discharge prescription, lab syringe or chest‑drain set can hold an entire bed hostage. 

15-18mins

Average porter run

0

Current Automation

Storage

Overflow lands in corridors: a 2024 Welsh inspection found “limited storage … unnecessary clutter … items inappropriately stored, impacting IPC and blocking a designated fire exit.”   

Emergency

corridor care = national patient‑safety emergency

60mins

Nurses time spent searching for equipment per shift

Where the Minutes Go

Staff lack adequate
supplies

2 in 5

Staff lack adequate
supplies

2 in 5

“Request‑to‑hand”
delay per transfer

15–20 min

“Request‑to‑hand”
delay per transfer

15–20 min

Inpatients fit to leave
but stay

1 in 6

Inpatients fit to leave
but stay

1 in 6

Spend over 1 hour
searching for supplies

1 in 3

Spend over 1 hour
searching for supplies

1 in 3

Avg searching time per shift

21-60 mins

Avg searching time per shift

21-60 mins

Delays blamed on
late med deliveries

73%

Delays blamed on
late med deliveries

73%

Ward work-arounds

(and why they fail)

What we see today:

  • Paper or e‑portering slips

    Requests queue; status unclear.

  • Hoarding & borrowing

    “Just‑in‑case” stashes, corridor trolleys, ad‑hoc runs by whoever is free.

  • Twice‑daily top‑ups

    Bulk drops in the afternoon and early morning; night‑time gaps persist.

  • Phone‑chasing pharmacy

    TTOs bunch around the 16:00 cut‑off; patients wait 2–4 hours. 

  • Overflow stores in clinical space

    Inspectors repeatedly flag clutter and blocked egress. 

What we see today:

  • Paper or e‑portering slips

    Requests queue; status unclear.

  • Hoarding & borrowing

    “Just‑in‑case” stashes, corridor trolleys, ad‑hoc runs by whoever is free.

  • Twice‑daily top‑ups

    Bulk drops in the afternoon and early morning; night‑time gaps persist.

  • Phone‑chasing pharmacy

    TTOs bunch around the 16:00 cut‑off; patients wait 2–4 hours. 

  • Overflow stores in clinical space

    Inspectors repeatedly flag clutter and blocked egress. 

What we see today:

  • Paper or e‑portering slips

    Requests queue; status unclear.

  • Hoarding & borrowing

    “Just‑in‑case” stashes, corridor trolleys, ad‑hoc runs by whoever is free.

  • Twice‑daily top‑ups

    Bulk drops in the afternoon and early morning; night‑time gaps persist.

  • Phone‑chasing pharmacy

    TTOs bunch around the 16:00 cut‑off; patients wait 2–4 hours. 

  • Overflow stores in clinical space

    Inspectors repeatedly flag clutter and blocked egress. 

Why it leaves holes:


  • Transfers leak: porter time is finite; the typical request‑to‑hand is ~15–20 min even when logged. 


  • Stock leak: staff still report 2 in 5 don’t have adequate supplies to do their work.

     

  • Space leak: overflow into corridors

    creates IPC risk and delays (equipment blocked, longer walks). 


Why it leaves holes:


  • Transfers leak: porter time is finite; the typical request‑to‑hand is ~15–20 min even when logged. 


  • Stock leak: staff still report 2 in 5 don’t have adequate supplies to do their work.

     

  • Space leak: overflow into corridors

    creates IPC risk and delays (equipment blocked, longer walks). 


Why it leaves holes:


  • Transfers leak: porter time is finite; the typical request‑to‑hand is ~15–20 min even when logged. 


  • Stock leak: staff still report 2 in 5 don’t have adequate supplies to do their work.

     

  • Space leak: overflow into corridors

    creates IPC risk and delays (equipment blocked, longer walks). 


Point solutions

(and the gaps they miss)

What's in use:

  • e‑Portering apps

    Digitise requests and reduce cancellations—but runs remain human, queued and time‑bound. 

  • Barcode / two‑bin / Scan4Safety

    Improves traceability and alerts; doesn’t refill shelves faster.

  • Bulk deliveries & weekly “big drops”

    Cheap per box; creates hoarding and clutter between drops. 

  • Courier robots (overseas pilots)

    Show transfers can be automated, capacity is low and UK wards still rely on manual portering.


What's in use:

  • e‑Portering apps

    Digitise requests and reduce cancellations—but runs remain human, queued and time‑bound. 

  • Barcode / two‑bin / Scan4Safety

    Improves traceability and alerts; doesn’t refill shelves faster.

  • Bulk deliveries & weekly “big drops”

    Cheap per box; creates hoarding and clutter between drops. 

  • Courier robots (overseas pilots)

    Show transfers can be automated, capacity is low and UK wards still rely on manual portering.


What's in use:

  • e‑Portering apps

    Digitise requests and reduce cancellations—but runs remain human, queued and time‑bound. 

  • Barcode / two‑bin / Scan4Safety

    Improves traceability and alerts; doesn’t refill shelves faster.

  • Bulk deliveries & weekly “big drops”

    Cheap per box; creates hoarding and clutter between drops. 

  • Courier robots (overseas pilots)

    Show transfers can be automated, capacity is low and UK wards still rely on manual portering.


What's still leaking:


  • Transfers: even with better logging, ~15–20 min per internal run burns capacity at scale. 


  • Stock: 58.5% of staff say they have adequate supplies—meaning two in five don’t. 


  • Space: inspections record inappropriate storage, clutter and even equipment at fire exits.


What's still leaking:


  • Transfers: even with better logging, ~15–20 min per internal run burns capacity at scale. 


  • Stock: 58.5% of staff say they have adequate supplies—meaning two in five don’t. 


  • Space: inspections record inappropriate storage, clutter and even equipment at fire exits.


What's still leaking:


  • Transfers: even with better logging, ~15–20 min per internal run burns capacity at scale. 


  • Stock: 58.5% of staff say they have adequate supplies—meaning two in five don’t. 


  • Space: inspections record inappropriate storage, clutter and even equipment at fire exits.


Tools in silo's solve aspects of problems, leaving larger challenges and inefficiencies still to be overcome.

  • “Corridor care is unsafe, undignified and unacceptable.” — Royal College of Nursing, 2024. “Logistics, not medicine, is the rate‑limiter in every third delayed discharge we reviewed.” — Nuffield Trust Operational Audit, 2023. “Nursing staff trying to care for patients in corridors, storerooms, car parks… with no access to oxygen, suction or monitoring equipment. Fire escapes blocked.” — Royal College of Nursing, 2025.

Stock that isn’t there. Transfers that take twenty minutes. Corridors that become cupboards.
These are daily, UK‑wide logistics failures—not edge cases. They cost beds (around 1 in 6 occupied by patients fit to leave), time (nurses losing tens of minutes per shift to searches and chasing), and safety (inspectors flagging clutter and blocked egress). Until hospitals plug all three leaks—stock availability, intra‑hospital transfers, and use of space—the system will keep haemorrhaging hours, beds and money.

Our Solution - at a glance

Designed to automate the mundane, yet necessary

Low Stock?

CareShelf has an integrated reserve supply that replenishes in seconds. It's release summons CareBot to replace the reserve supply, ensuring constant availability.

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Deliver to a ward?

CareBot can be summoned by staff to transport medicines, documents, resources and more to a specified department.

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Low on space?

Our modular shelving maximises your wall area, whilst increasing restocking frequency drastically reduces required space of supplies.

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Common Questions

Haven’t found what you’re looking for? Contact us

What can CareBot actually do?

Two core missions: (a) Ward restocking – swaps empty totes for full ones (up to 240 L per run). (b) Secure inter‑departmental transfers – couriers medicines, samples or documents in a 60 L module with 6 individually lockable drawers.

How does it navigate safely around patients and equipment?

How much staff time will it save?

Can it handle controlled drugs or confidential samples?

How do i join the team?

What can CareBot actually do?

Two core missions: (a) Ward restocking – swaps empty totes for full ones (up to 240 L per run). (b) Secure inter‑departmental transfers – couriers medicines, samples or documents in a 60 L module with 6 individually lockable drawers.

How does it navigate safely around patients and equipment?

How much staff time will it save?

Can it handle controlled drugs or confidential samples?

How do i join the team?

What can CareBot actually do?

Two core missions: (a) Ward restocking – swaps empty totes for full ones (up to 240 L per run). (b) Secure inter‑departmental transfers – couriers medicines, samples or documents in a 60 L module with 6 individually lockable drawers.

How does it navigate safely around patients and equipment?

How much staff time will it save?

Can it handle controlled drugs or confidential samples?

How do i join the team?

Solutions that drive success and propel patient care forward

Problem

Solution

Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 CareRobotics.
All Rights Reserved

Solutions that drive success and propel patient care forward

Problem

Solution

Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 CareRobotics.
All Rights Reserved

Solutions that drive success and propel patient care forward

Problem

Solution

Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 CareRobotics.
All Rights Reserved