A Wing drone carrying an NHS package. Image: Wing
A similar operation is currently underway in Dublin, between Blackrock Clinic and St Vincent’s Private Hospital.
In a first for the National Health Service (NHS) in London, drones will transport urgent blood samples between Guy’s Hospital and the lab at St Thomas’ Hospital to speed up medical services for patients.
The six-month trial is a partnership between Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation; healthcare logistics company Apian; and global drone delivery company Wing, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet.
Transporting samples by road between Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital takes more than half an hour, but less than two minutes by drone.
“Drones can increase the responsiveness and resilience of healthcare logistics, allowing clinicians to be more productive and patients to get the care they need sooner,” said Dr Hammad Jeilani, co-founder of Apian.
Apian was founded in 2020 by a team of NHS doctors. Its platform integrates healthcare and aviation systems to create a fully automated, on-demand delivery system.
Expected to be up and running in the coming months, the drones will deliver blood samples for patients undergoing surgery who are at higher risk of complications from bleeding disorders. The project is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority.
CEO of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Prof Ian Abbs said the drone project combines two key priorities – “providing the best possible patient care and improving sustainability”.
Lightweight commercial drones can significantly reduce CO2 emissions when compared to non-electric cars and reduce the electricity required in comparison to electric delivery vans.
However, drones are a threat to avian wildlife, causing noise pollution and stress to animals. The European Environment Agency said “the consequences of undue stress caused by drones to wildlife have not been studied systematically and are little understood”.
A similar trial by Apian and Wing is currently taking place in Dublin between Blackrock Clinic and St Vincent’s Private Hospital to deliver medical supplies between the hospitals.
Wing has had an Irish presence since 2022, targeting the same market as Bobby Healy’s Manna Drone Delivery. In October 2022, Wing confirmed Dublin’s Lusk as the location for a “small-scale demonstration” of its drone delivery operation in Ireland.
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