Lancaster hospital to use drones to deliver medical samples in UK trial project

Drones are to be used to deliver medical samples between the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and other hospitals in the region as part of a UK trial.
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The pioneering use of drone technology is being trialled thanks to around £1.4m in UK Research and Innovation funding.

As one of only 17 projects selected nationally, the work 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.

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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 Hospital and Furness General Hospital before simulating the potential expansion to Royal Preston Hospital.

The Royal Lancaster Infirmary is to use drones to deliver medical samples as part of a UK trial project.The Royal Lancaster Infirmary is to use drones to deliver medical samples as part of a UK trial project.
The Royal Lancaster Infirmary is to use drones to deliver medical samples as part of a UK trial project.

The electrically charged drones will cut the delivery times between the hospitals across Morecambe Bay by more than an hour, optimising the operation of pathology labs, meaning patients and clinicians will have access to results faster.

Currently samples travel between the hospitals by van multiple times per day, and the new technology will help to reduce the carbon footprint as part of the health service’s wider green agenda.

The drones, developed by UK company SkyLift UAV, will operate specific routes across the bay between the hospitals for a trial period of 90 days and will fly almost silently in their own dedicated airspace at 250 feet above ground level.

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This comes thanks to support from the Civil Aviation Authority and co-operation from large private sector organisations.

The Royal Lancaster Infirmary is to use drones to deliver medical samples as part of a UK trial project.The Royal Lancaster Infirmary is to use drones to deliver medical samples as part of a UK trial project.
The Royal Lancaster Infirmary is to use drones to deliver medical samples as part of a UK trial project.

Tony Crick, who is 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."

Phil Woodford, who is 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 to 90 minutes to drive a van between the RLI and FGH whilst spewing out pollutants that damage the atmosphere and our health.

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"Travel time door to door with the drone will be achieved in around 15 to 20 minutes - slashing the normal time by up to 70 per cent. It also has the potential to aid clinical decision making with the removal of unnecessary transport delays.”

Gary Cutts, Future Flight Challenge director, said: “Over the past few years we’ve seen rapid developments in all aspects of the aviation system. From cutting the length of time someone waits for medicine to arrive, to supplying greener ways to travel, these 17 projects will deliver real benefits to people across the UK.”

More information about the UK Research and Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge can be found on their website here.

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