NHS blood-carrying drones plan branded crazy by Londoners

Plans to fly drones carrying blood samples over London have been proposed by the NHS but some locals are not happy.

After a six-month trial period at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, the NHS is looking to use the drones developed by the company Apian between 12 hospitals.

The aim is to cut costs and reduce delays in delivering the vital samples by beating the capital’s congested roads.

The new plans would see drones flying between Charing Cross Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital, if approved.

This means they would fly over popular spots like Oxford Circus, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

In east London, drones would fly between King George Hospital, Queen’s Hospital and Barking Hospital.

Locals are divided in their opinions, with Fereshteh Guillon, who lives near Holland Park, telling MailOnline: ‘Already, when I’m sitting in my conservatory, it’s really noisy – with planes flying over every few minutes. Now I’m going to have to deal with drones as well?

‘I don’t mind if it’s going to help the hospitals – but they should have soundproof drones. Surely that’s possible. It also depends on the time of day. If it’s at night that will be very disruptive.

‘Why were there no consultations for this? They didn’t ask any of us in the neighbourhood. I didn’t receive any letters. They should inform people of these plans before they go ahead with them.’

Natasha McCluney, 59, works as a courier in Kensington and said: ‘I really can’t see that working. It all feels a bit too sci-fi to me.

‘It doesn’t feel like that’s been trialled enough – and I can just imagine the drones crashing. I can’t imagine the people living here would love things flying over their heads all day either.

‘If it helps with the speed of those tests I’m all for progress – but blood samples feel like a really important thing to be transporting. So it makes me a bit nervous.’

Apian said on its website that it provided more than 6,000 urgent supplies since the trial period started last November.

It also said that trialled deliveries to the rooftops of Guy’s and St Thomas’ took only two minutes by drone in comparison to 30 minutes by road.

The safety of drone blood transportation was also tested last year when Apian aircrafts were used to transport 10 blood packs from Northumbria Hospital to Alnwick Infirmary and back again.

Five were delivered by drone and five by road with research showing that it did not influence the blood’s quality or how long it lasted.

Barry Geber, 55, who lives near Hyde Park, likes the idea of the drones and said: ‘I think that’s a good idea. I have no problem with that. Especially if it’s going to help people be treated quicker.

‘As long as they’re not flying too low I can’t foresee them being that disruptive. And I imagine if they’re transporting medical supplies, these drones will be larger, and so they’ll be higher up.’

A spokesperson for Apian told Metro they are ‘excited’ to build on their work in London.

They said: ‘These new plans are early-stage and, as always, are being developed in full coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority and will provide opportunities for local stakeholders, including residents, councils and businesses, to have their say, ensuring safety and community engagement at every step.

‘Safety is our top priority. Apian works with industry-leading drone operators who have safely completed millions of deliveries worldwide. Every flight is monitored by a qualified pilot and backed by multiple layers of redundancy. 

‘The drones generally fly above 65 metres, and in our experience, most people don’t even notice them –  especially against the background noise of a busy city like London.

‘Apian’s system is designed to handle the unpredictability of British weather. Sensors are used purely for navigation, and there’s no live feed or access to footage.’

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