Tailor-made cleaning systems to meet the needs of today’s healthcare facilities

In the way a suit is made to fit a person and a home can be built for its owner – the same tailor-made approach can be applied to cleaning tools to ensure they meet the exact needs of their users.

In this article, Kelly Brierley, key account manager at Robert Scott, explains the process of creating bespoke products for the hospital and healthcare sector in order to meet a range of customer requirements.

We’ve found over the last 12 months in particular, a shift in the products that our distributors want to stock due to customer demand. The most notable shift has been seen across our more environmentally conscious product categories that use microfibre-based tools which require less water and can be used without chemical cleaning agents.

But we’re also often asked by our distributors to help create new cleaning products which provide a particular solution to a problem – quite often by designing a bespoke product that’s not limited to a fixed range. Healthcare facilities and hospitals have so many diverse cleaning needs, we’re often called on by both our distributors and their end users for this tailor-made service.

A cleaning trolley designed for MRI rooms
One healthcare facility we’ve worked with recently came to us with a real challenge in that they needed a trolley that could be used specifically to clean rooms with MRI scanning units – therefore it had to be completely free of metal components.

Working with the customer, we identified the most suitable metal-free and non-conductive trolley system – the Alpha Trolley – and began working through the list of product requirements that we could tailor to their needs. This included metal-free plastic holders for microfibre mops and cloths, pre-soaked jugs, composite handles and other cleaning tools.
Now we have created this unique system it could be used by any healthcare facility that faces the same challenges and requires a cleaning trolley that does not conduct with any of the equipment on site. Due to the potential for this product across other facilities, it is now something we are looking at stocking as a range in its own right.

The cleaning trolley with a difference
A further example of Robert Scott designing products for specific needs was for a customer that oversees a number of private hospitals and high-end healthcare facilities, which presented an entirely different set of challenges. In this case, the customer was looking to create a trolley cleaning system that contained all tools internally, giving a more aesthetically streamline design.

Essentially, they were looking for a trolley system that did not look like a trolley but could discreetly carry all of the cleaning hardware, chemicals and accessories required internally – in a mobile unit small enough to fit into tight spaces. It also had to be flexible to accommodate both washable and disposable systems, depending on the end user’s cleaning regime. While we’re still in development with this product, we’re confident we have found the right solution for the customer’s unique requirements.

For hospital and healthcare facilities trolley cleaning systems are without doubt the most efficient way of cleaning on the move. At Robert Scott we have invested our cleaning know-how into the development of the Alpha trolley range – a smart, portable solution to be used with microfibre products to minimise risk of cross-contamination and provide a more efficient method of cleaning for end users.

There’s lots of combinations and product options with this range and it is ideal for bespoke, tailor-made cleaning adapted around the customer’s needs with the necessary compartments and storage for both traditional and microfibre cleaning products. With a trolley system that’s built around the user and the site they clean, this can contribute towards an easier and more efficient cleaning protocol for any hospital or healthcare facility.

For more information on Robert Scott’s bespoke trolley systems, please contact us.