In a first for London, electric drones will soon fly urgent blood samples between Guy’s and St Thoma’s hospitals in the centre of the city.
The upcoming flights are part of a joint pilot between the NHS, healthcare logistics startup Apian, and drone manufacturer Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet, spun out from the company’s moonshot factory X.
The aim is to improve patient care by accelerating turnaround delivery times. Currently, blood sample transport relies on van and motorbike couriers, for whom the journey can take more than half an hour. Drones can reduce the duration to less than two minutes.
When it comes to blood deliveries, time is of the essence, especially when patients who are at high risk of complications from bleeding disorders undergo surgery. This is why the trial’s drone deliveries will focus on serving this particular group.
“The drone pilot combines two of our key priorities — providing the best possible patient care and improving sustainability,” said Ian Abbs, chief executive at the hospitals’ NHS Foundation Trust.
Using lightweight commercial drones can potentially cut emissions by up to 99% compared to non-electric means of road transport.
The pilot, which will last for six months, is expected to start this autumn.
Building the NHS drone delivery network
Apian was founded in London in 2020 by two NHS doctors and one Google alumnus. The startup is on a mission to build an on-demand, medical drone delivery network for the NHS and beyond.
The company has developed a logistics API that connects healthcare providers with drone operators. Its platform streamlines the process by handling healthcare orders, selecting drone carriers, and providing scheduling, routing, and live tracking.
Apian and Wing have previously worked together on medical drone deliveries in Ireland. Apian has also run several pilots in the UK’s countryside, including the country’s first drone blood deliveries beyond the visual line of sight.
“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,” said Howard Dawber, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth.
According to Apian’s co-founder Hammad Jeilani, drones have the potential to improve both “the responsiveness and resilience” of healthcare logistics.
In 2022, Apian raised a £5m seed round from a number of VCs including KHP Ventures, the first NHS-founded and backed venture fund.