UK: Apian, Northumbria Healthcare Advance Automated, on-Demand Drone Delivery of Urgent Clinical Items
UK Medical drone startup, Apian Aero, and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, are collaborating to explore the deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to carry chemotherapy drugs, blood samples and other items between sites, reports a press release.
Following a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval process, trial flights are to take place from today February 13th, to May 12th along a route from Wansbeck General Hospital at Ashington up to Alnwick Infirmary and then onto Berwick Infirmary.
As Northumbria Healthcare’s large, predominantly rural region covers Northumberland and North Tyneside, deploying drones will reduce road delivery times, make efficiencies, and cut carbon emissions. The release states, “The trial will collect logistical data and assess the impact on patient experience, staff resources and the environmental benefits.”

Sir James Mackey
Sir James Mackey, CEO of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, commented, “We are always interested to explore initiatives which may be able to improve how we deliver care to our communities. With the area we cover and the number of hospitals and other sites we manage, having effective logistics to get supplies where they need to be is vital, while we are always mindful of our need to drive efficiencies and reduce our impact on the environment.”
He continued, “Using drones has the potential to help us deliver important drugs and supplies in a better, smarter way, so we are looking forward to seeing how the test flights go. We are committed to providing as much care as we can in our outlying communities, so logistical routes to Alnwick and Berwick are a key focus.”
The UAVs, which are managed by Skyports, will be using the Swoop Aero Kookaburra III drone. This can carry up to 3kg of payload with a maximum speed of close to 70mph. There will be six flights per day at the start, increasing to up to 15 per day by the end of the trial. The drone is to deliver chemotherapy medication to both Alnwick and Berwick Infirmaries.
Meanwhile, return flights from Alnwick and Berwick will return pathology samples to Wansbeck. Other items that may be delivered include blood packs, prescriptions, medical equipment and mail.
Apian Aero co-Founder and Medical Director, Dr Christopher Law, said, “This trial builds on Apian’s work in the Solent where we flew the world’s first chemotherapy and delivered the UK’s first prescription medicine by drone.”
He continued, “While there’s still much work to be done before UAVs can operate autonomously in non-segregated airspace, there’s an equal and opposite amount of evidence for Apian to collect for how on-demand delivery can impact healthcare just as it has our personal lives.”

Flight Route
The CAA has approved the following flight windows. Please note, these times are the maximum hours of flying approved. The project will only activate the airspace when needed.
Monday: 9:45–14:15, 16:00–18:15 (6:45 hrs)
Tuesday: 9:45–14:15, 16:00–18:15 (6:45 hrs)
Wednesday: 8:45–14:45, 16:00–18:15 (8:15 hrs)
Thursday: 8:45–14:30, 16:00–18:15 (8:15 hrs)
Friday: 8:45–14:30, 16:00–18:15 (8:15 hrs)
Saturday: No flying
Sunday: No flying
Flight Distances
Wansbeck General Hospital to Alnwick Infirmary:-
Flight distance: 21 miles
Maximum flight time: 28 minutes
Alnwick Infirmary to Berwick Infirmary:-
Flight distance: 45 miles
Maximum flight time: 55 minutes
This trial is being privately funded by Apian. The drones are to be based at Wansbeck General Hospital as the hub, with Alnwick infirmary and Berwick infirmary as the spokes.
A period of community engagement about this project is taking place alongside the test flights. You can take part in the online survey here:-
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90531102/Northumbria-drone-trial
For more information
https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk
(Top image: Apian)