NHS blood samples to be delivered by drones in London first

• Medical drone delivery service for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Apian and Wing
• Electric drones offer on-demand, automated transportation of urgent pathology items, such as blood samples
• Initial service could pave the way for drone delivery of other medical items for Guy’s and St Thomas’ and other London trusts

Urgent blood samples will be transported by electric drones in a medical delivery service which aims to improve patient care by speeding 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 efficiently 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.

Blood samples are currently delivered by van and motorbike couriers. Switching to drone deliveries will have significant environmental benefits by removing carbon emissions and reducing traffic congestion. Lightweight commercial drones can reduce CO2e emissions by up to 99% compared to non-electric cars and reduce transportation electricity needed compared to electric delivery vans.

This six-month operation is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority, 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. 

This is a landmark 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.

Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive at Guy's and St Thomas', said: “The drone pilot combines two of our key priorities - providing the best possible patient care and improving sustainability. We are proud to be the first Trust in London to trial this innovative approach to help speed up blood sample analysis for our most urgent cases.”

Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth, Howard Dawber, said: “This new service is a great example of how the innovation and vision of a London startup has brought much-needed investment from across the globe to tackle important health issues facing our city today - showing how London is leading the way in improving healthcare as we build a fairer London for all.”

Sophie O’Sullivan, Director of Future of Flight, UK Civil Aviation Authority, 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.”

Dr Hammad Jeilani, Co-Founder of Apian, said: “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. An NHS drone delivery network in London, starting with this innovative trial, will provide on-demand, automated and sustainable deliveries, helping the NHS create more efficient models of working and our doctors and nurses to deliver the highest quality care for patients.”