Drones to deliver NHS medication to care homes and GP surgeries in big roll-out

18 December 2023 , 19:26

1156     0

A drone outside Wansbeck Hospital (Image: Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust)

Drones are set to begin delivering NHS medication to care homes and GP surgeries next year in the biggest roll-out to date.

If approved, up to 80 flights a day are planned to hospitals and elsewhere in North East England. The drones travelling almost 70mph can carry up to 3kg of frequently-used supplies, from medicines to joint replacement implants. Once they arrive, packages with parachutes float down to an outdoor area at the destination. The drones, which can fly in almost any weather, can make round-trip journeys of up to 130 miles.

Those behind the plan say it will speed up deliveries of essential stocks, including medical devices and prescriptions. Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is teaming up with UK-based logistics firm Apian and US tech company Zipline. It follows a 90-day trial that took place earlier this year. If the Civil Aviation Authority approves, a longer six-month exercise involving significantly more flights could begin in autumn next year. This next stage does not include drone deliveries to patients’ homes. It follows a number of other trials recently.

Automated drones could soon be used to carry medication

In July last year, Boots became the first pharmacy to use drones to carry deliveries with a flight from Portsmouth to a hospital on the Isle of Wight. The same month saw drones used to transport chemotherapy drugs to the same hospital from the mainland. The new trail will, if it goes ahead, be on a much bigger scale. The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest in the country geographically, providing services to more than 500,000 people across Northumberland and North Tyneside. From a central hub, supplies will be dispatched by air to more than 30 GP surgeries, hospitals and elsewhere. The idea is to scale that up over time. Part of the trial is to gauge the safety of the technology, and safeguards to try to prevent the drones being intercepted. Patients’ personal details will not be included in what is transported by air.

Sir James Mackey, chief executive officer of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, called the latest plans "an exciting next step as we strive to improve services for the hundreds of thousands of patients we serve. We believe this innovative technology could be used to improve healthcare outcomes, save money and eliminate supply chain complexities, and we’re keen to get started.”

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

Dr Christopher Law, medical director and co-founder of Apian, said: "I’ve seen first-hand the impact that running out of supplies can have on patient health outcomes. Healthcare should benefit from on-demand delivery, much like consumers now do in their personal lives. Delivering critical products with drones, where and when they’re most needed, will improve supply chain efficiency and give doctors, nurses and clinicians more time to focus on the most important thing — their patients."

It comes after Amazon announced it will start using drones to deliver parcels in the UK in under an hour. The online retail giant said the service would start in one location, yet to be revealed, at the end of 2024.

Graham Hiscott