The NHS in South Cumbria and Lancashire is set to pioneer the use of delivery drones, thanks to £1.4 million in UK research and innovation funding.
The drone technology will be used to deliver medical samples between selected hospitals, slashing waiting times.
The work is one of only 17 projects selected nationally, and will see University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust teaming up with local enterprises Digital & Future Technologies and Miralis Data Limited to deliver the 20-month project.
Selected as part of the government’s Future Flight Challenge, the two-phase trial will first see medical samples being transported between the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Westmorland General and Furness General Hospital before simulating the potential expansion to Royal Preston Hospital.
The electrically charged drones will cut the delivery times between the hospitals across Morecambe Bay by over an hour, optimising the operation of pathology labs, meaning patients and clinicians will have access to results faster.
Tony Crick, Chief Allied Health Professional and Healthcare Scientist at UHMBT, said “The use of UAVs or drones to fly urgent items is no longer the stuff of science fiction – from drones delivering lifesaving defibrillators to those ‘on scene’ first helping heart attack victims in Sweden, through to delivering urgent medical supplies and equipment in Rwanda and Ghana.
“They are instead part of the modern range of equipment available to UHMBT and LHTr to operate in a more efficient and effective way.”
Currently samples travel between the hospitals by van multiple times per day, with the new technology set to reduce the carbon footprint as part of the health service’s wider green agenda.
Phil Woodford, Director of Corporate Affairs at UHMBT, said: “We live and work in one of the most beautiful parts of the country and we have a responsibility to do so in as safe and sustainable way as possible. It typically takes anything from 60-90 minutes to drive a van between the RLI and FGH whilst spewing out pollutants that damage the atmosphere and our health.
“Travel time door to door with the drone will be achieved in around 15-20 minutes – slashing the normal time by up to 70%. It also has the potential to aid clinical decision making with the removal of unnecessary transport delays.”
The drones have been developed by UK company SkyLift UAV and will operate specific routes across the bay between the hospitals.
They will fly for a trial period of 90 days and will fly almost silently in their own dedicated airspace at 250 feet above ground level.
This project has been supported by Civil Aviation Authority and co-operation from large private sector organisations.
