NHS to transport blood samples by drone in London

Urgent blood samples will be transported by electric drones in London, UK as part of an NHS medical delivery service which aims to speed up turnaround times.

Moving samples between Guy’s Hospital and the lab at St Thomas’ Hospital can take more than half an hour by road but takes less than two minutes by drone. This enables quicker analysis, helping to determine whether patients are safe to undergo surgery or be discharged. The trial will deliver blood samples for patients undergoing surgery who are at high risk of complications from bleeding disorders. Switching to drone deliveries will also have significant environmental benefits by removing carbon emissions and reducing traffic congestion. 

This six-month operation is regulated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which has granted the airspace approval. It has been organised as a partnership between Guy’s and St Thomas’; Apian, a healthcare logistics company founded by NHS doctors; and Wing, a global drone delivery company that is part of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. 

The project is a first for the NHS in London. Apian and Wing have previously partnered on medical drone delivery in Dublin, Ireland, and Apian has trialled medical drone deliveries in rural areas of the UK. The pilot is expected to start in autumn 2024.

Sophie O’Sullivan, Director of Future of Flight at the CAA said: “Innovative trials like this from Guy’s and St Thomas’, Apian and Wing help demonstrate the many positive and safe ways that drones can be used for society – in this case, to improve patient outcomes and deliver significant environmental benefits. This is one of the many reasons that we are working with companies through our sandbox trials programme, to enable the test and development of pioneering new aviation technology in the UK.”