Drones carrying medical supplies will be taking to the skies of Northumberland next week as a trial phase of a project gets underway.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with Apian to explore the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to carry chemotherapy drugs, blood samples and other items between sites. Following a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval process, test flights will be taking place from Monday February 13 to Friday May 12 along a route from Wansbeck General Hospital at Ashington up to Alnwick Infirmary and onto Berwick Infirmary.
Given Northumbria Healthcare's large, predominantly rural patch across Northumberland and North Tyneside, it is hoped that using drones could reduce delivery times and cut carbon emissions. The trial will collect logistical data and assess the impact on patient experience, staff resources and environmental benefits.
The project will use fully electric aircraft, which can take off and land vertically like helicopters before flying horizontally like a plane by combining fixed wings with rotors. The drones can carry up to 3kg and have a maximum speed of 110km/h (almost 70mph).
There will be six flights per day at the beginning of the trial, increasing to up to 15 flights per day by the end of the trial, delivering chemotherapy medication to Alnwick and onto Berwick. Return flights will deliver pathology samples to Wansbeck, and could also deliver blood packs, prescriptions, medical equipment and mail.
Sir James Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust, said: "With the area we cover and the number of hospitals and other sites we manage, having effective logistics to get supplies where they need to be is vital, while we are always mindful of our need to drive efficiencies and reduce our impact on the environment. Using drones has the potential to help us deliver important drugs and supplies in a better, smarter way, so we are looking forward to seeing how the test flights go."
Apian have previously tested drone flights in the Solent, where they flew the world's first chemotherapy medication and delivered the UK's first prescription medicine by drone. The trial is being funded by Apian, rather than the NHS.
A period of community engagement about this project is taking place alongside the test flights. You can take part in the online survey here.
What do you think about drones delivering prescriptions? Let us know!
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