Mitie has secured a new £27 million three-year facilities management contract with Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust. Under the contract, Mitie will deliver intelligence-led cleaning, portering and waste management services at Kingston Hospital.
Mitie will introduce smart portering technology using AI-driven task management and smartphone-based location tracking to support day-to-day activities, such as moving equipment and bedding, and handling waste removal. Real-time data and visibility of tasks will enable colleagues to deploy resource where it is most needed, helping to streamline operations during peak demand.
The technology is already deployed across Mitie’s other healthcare contracts, supporting faster bed turnover, more timely patient discharge and freeing up clinical teams to focus on care. It has delivered a 52% reduction in task completion time at King George Hospital in Ilford and reduced porter response times by two thirds (66%) and cleaner response times by almost half (47%) at Cumberland Infirmary.
Digital training will be provided to the 304 new colleagues transferring to Mitie under TUPE, equipping them with the skills and capability needed to deliver intelligence-led services. This will include training on Mitie’s digital cleaning reporting platform, Merlin Connect, as well as the programming and mapping of two new automatic cleaning robots, or “cobots”. Together, this will support a digitally confident workforce and enable robot-assisted cleaning to be deployed across the estate.
Supporting the Trust’s Green Plan to deliver high-quality, sustainable healthcare, and meet wider NHS Net Zero ambitions, Mitie has committed to helping reduce the Trust’s carbon emissions by 5% year on year. Measures will include introducing electric portering vehicles and eco-friendly cleaning products and reducing Scope 3 emissions through greater use of local suppliers.
As part of its commitment to uplift people and places, Mitie will create education and employment pathways for the local community. This includes a pilot FM Cadet programme for secondary school students and participation in eight education outreach events each year, aiming to reach more than 300 students in Kingston and Richmond. Over the course of the contract, Mitie will recruit ten return-to-work colleagues in the first year and three recruits every year thereafter. Additionally, Mitie will offer two facilities management apprenticeships and two internships each year for young people with learning disabilities.
Sam White, Managing Director, Technical Services, Mitie, said: “Working closely with Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, our colleagues will play a vital role in supporting critical services and maintaining a high-quality healthcare environment. This contract demonstrates how Mitie brings together expertise, intelligent technology, low-carbon innovation and strong local partnerships to support patients, visitors and clinical teams.”
Yarlini Roberts, the Director with responsibility for Facilities at Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to partner with Mitie to deliver efficient, technology-enabled and sustainable facilities management services at the Trust. This collaboration will enhance service quality, support our Green Plan and NHS Net Zero ambitions, and create positive opportunities for our people and local community whilst supporting our clinical teams focus on delivering outstanding patient care.”