The NHS will expand the use of drones with urgent pathology samples set to be transported by the vehicles across south west London.
The new drone service from Apian and operated by Wing will carry pathology samples from the Nelson Health Centre in Merton to SWLP’s central laboratory at St George’s Hospital in Tooting.
Apian has claimed the use of drones will reduce transportation time between these locations by up to 85%.
The new route builds on the first phase of London-based NHS drone delivery used between Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. In that phase over 6,000 samples were transported with Apian claiming average cost savings of 28% and CO2 emission reduction of 98.4%.
“By introducing drones into our logistics operations, we’re harnessing cutting-edge technology to improve NHS services,” said Simon Brewer, managing director at SWLP.
“We’ll be able to avoid disruption on south west London’s notoriously busy roads, while accelerating turnaround times, enabling clinicians to make timely decisions and deliver world-class care.”
“This first phase is an exciting step in understanding how drone logistics can support more cost-effective and resilient pathology services across south west London.”
Apian is a British autonomous logistics firm founded by NHS doctors specialising in the use of drones in medical deliveries. It works in partnership with drone operator Wing.
“Working with SWLP and St George’s, we’ll help deliver high-quality pathology services to more than 1.3 million patients across South West London,” said Apian’s medical integration lead Dr Mike Eager.
“We’ll also be supporting plans to deliver care closer to home with the integration of primary care into this network. With growing evidence of the clinical, commercial, and environmental benefits of drone delivery, it’s fantastic to be working with the NHS to scale this innovation across the nation’s capital.”
