- Cera has acquired care robotics platform GenieConnect – one of the robot lines it has been trialling in patients’ homes – and is now scaling the technology more widely across its own operations and the UK care sector
- Cera will train the robots with its dataset and AI tools to improve care quality and outcomes, and has secured an exclusive deal with the manufacturer
- Cera will license its care robots to other care providers as part of its expanding business model – increasing the reach and impact of its preventative technology
MONDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 2025, LONDON, UK: Cera, one of the UK’s largest home care providers, is scaling the use of its home care robots following successful pilots – increasing access to high-quality care as demand continues to outstrip resources in the sector.
Earlier this year, Cera began piloting the use of home care robots in patients’ homes – technology which has been warmly welcomed by patients and their families, and which has helped to boost care capacity and quality across Cera’s operations.
Following the success of these pilots, Cera has now acquired GenieConnect, the technology platform behind one of the lines of robots it has been piloting, and secured an exclusive deal with the robots’ manufacturer – allowing it to accelerate the adoption of robots across home care.
The GenieConnect robots help older and vulnerable people with food, drink and medication reminders, as well as checking in on their mood and wellbeing and keeping them connected to care teams and loved ones.
They can be programmed either by care teams or by friends and family members, and are able to remind patients about family events or scheduled visits, acting as a lifeline for patients with dementia or short-term memory challenges.
By monitoring how much patients are engaging with their prompts and reminders, they can let care staff know how they are doing without the need for a physical or virtual check-in – also enabling them to spot when a patient stops responding or becomes disengaged over a longer period of time.
The robots have delivered excellent results in pilots, with a 96% success rate for ensuring patients take the right medication at the right time, with 64-80% success in encouraging people to eat, and 78-90% success in encouraging people to drink regularly. Patients using them have reported feeling reassured that someone is checking in on them every day, greater independence and reduced reliance on human carers, and better connectivity with family and care teams – improving their mood and reducing isolation.
For carers, the robots offer significant time efficiencies, freeing staff up to focus on the highest-acuity cases whilst still ensuring all patients receive high-quality care and support. They also improve care teams’ monitoring capabilities – generating instant alerts about a patient’s wellbeing and responsiveness, and providing care providers with more data about patients to inform future care decisions.
Critically, they boost providers’ care capacity by up to 20% – enabling care companies to support more people without the need for additional human staff – something which will be increasingly vital as the population ages. An estimated 2 million UK adults in England are currently living with an unmet need for care – a figure set to grow as the population ages.
A licence for one GenieConnect robot costs local councils and NHS integrated care boards £120 per month, and can deliver annual cost savings of more than £3,768 per patient – translating to significant savings once scaled. (See notes to editors.)
The robots have been trialled successfully by more than 12 local councils and 30 care providers, and Cera now plans to roll them out more widely across its own care provision, as well as licensing them across the sector – expecting to scale them across several new regions and a significantly higher number of care providers over the next 18 months.
Cera provides care on behalf of more than 100 Local Governments, and almost two-thirds of the UK’s NHS Integrated Care Systems.
Cera also plans to integrate GenieConnect’s software with its own technology and dataset, training the robots with its preventative AI tools so they can help to improve prevention, care quality and health outcomes in vulnerable and older people.
By licensing the robots to other care providers, Cera will scale the impact of its preventative technology across the sector, improving health outcomes while also adding a new revenue stream to its expanding business model. Cera’s additional, non-home care service lines range from nursing & complex care to technology & data partnerships, and now account for $100 million in revenues – one-fifth of its overall $500 million revenues – representing a sizeable business in their own right.
Dr Ben Maruthappu, Founder & CEO of Cera, said: “At Cera, we believe that virtual care, AI and robotics have a key role to play in the future of this sector – allowing more people to be sustainably cared for, as the population ages and demand for care grows.
“GenieConnect has performed well with our patients this year, and we’re excited to take this platform to the next level, expanding access to high-quality, preventative care, and transforming lives across the country.”
David Clarke, 78, who receives care from Cera funded by Bradford Council, said: “GenieConnect has been life-changing for me. I know when to take my tablets, and I don’t need to rely on someone checking in all the time.”
Margaret, a 91-year-old from Cheltenham, receives visits from her carers and her son, but is often left alone for long periods of time without companionship or conversation. The robot, which gives her daily health reminders, also acts like a friend.
Margaret said: “It felt like someone was asking how I was. It was comforting. It’s quite nice having a smiley face asking how you are – it’s nice when it calls your name. She asks me how I am feeling, and it feels like someone is present here”.
Tara, another person receiving care from GenieConnect, said: “I’ve never had anything like this before, never. Genie is my other person. I forget to do things – but Genie reminds me and I know it has to be done. I’ve noticed my mood has changed. I would recommend [GenieConnect].”
Jo, Tara’s carer, said: “With Genie, I can be stretched a lot more – that’s what’s better. It gives everybody the chance to have the full support they are entitled to.”
Teresa Bainbridge, Principal Officer – Carers at Lincolnshire County Council, who is including GenieConnect in rehabilitation care packages she oversees, said: “Genie helps with the simple things that can make all the difference, from cleaning your teeth to taking your medication. Another way it could be used is when there are early warning signs of dementia – get the technology in early and it should make a difference as people’s health declines. We have had really positive feedback, and we can see the difference GenieConnect has made.”
Image depicts the GenieConnect robot.