In a first for Scotland, NHS laboratory specimens have been flown from one NHS board to another by drone.

This Project Care & Equity – Healthcare Logistics UAS Scotland (CAELUS) initiative, led by AGS Airports in partnership with NHS Scotland, took place during a three-week flight trial between NHS Lothian and NHS Borders.

Live flying took place between the Edinburgh BioQuarter, which is next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, and Borders General Hospital in Melrose.

Currently, laboratory samples which inform urgent clinical decision-making are transported by road and can take up to five hours between NHS Borders and NHS Lothian.

But Project CAELUS could see this delivery take 35 minutes, enhancing the transport provision, particularly for rural areas.

Project CALEUS is working with 16 consortium partners to deliver what will be the first national drone network that can transport essential medicines, bloods, and other medical supplies throughout Scotland—including to remote communities.

Fiona Smith, who’s project director for Project CAELUS, said: “Our consortium has been working extremely hard to get to this stage and we are delighted we have been able to test this important use case for the NHS.

“Transporting laboratory specimens by drone could speed up the clinical decision making allowing for same day diagnosis and treatment.

“It is also one of the first times in the UK that there has been a demonstration of beyond the visual line of sight medical drone operations transiting between controlled and uncontrolled airspace.

“This is an important milestone for our project and we now look forward to testing more potential use cases by drone across Scotland in the coming months.”

CAELUS is part funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge.

It brings together 16 partners including the University of Strathclyde, Skyports Drone Services, NATS, and NHS Scotland.

In the latest live flight trials, tests were also carried out on how NHS staff in future would engage with the drone both physically and digitally.

Hazel Dempsey, who’s the CAELUS NHS Scotland programme lead, also commented: “Our aim, from an NHS perspective, is to explore opportunities where drone technology could benefit patients and NHS services in urban, remote, rural and island landscapes.

“The NHS is reliant on van logistics that have provided valuable service for decades, however these can take time, travelling hundreds of road miles each day.

“In some parts of Scotland, patients who live in remote and rural locations are dependent on ferry or airline availability.

“This project will enable the NHS to consider if drone technology is viable and able to contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of our population.”

Recommended reading

• Flight Trials for Scots Medicine-carrying Drones Conducted
• £10m Funding to Support Medical Drone Deliveries Across Scotland
• UK’s First Medical Drone Delivery Network Begins Next Phase

Since January 2020, the CAELUS consortium has designed drone landing stations for NHS sites across Scotland and developed a digital twin of the proposed delivery network which connects Scottish hospitals, pathology laboratories, distribution centres, and GP surgerie.

In a successful trial in October 2023, flying took place between Glasgow Airport and NHS Golden Jubilee in Clydebank. This initiative was showcasing the integration of drones with modern airspace.

The Scottish Ambulance Service also carried out a simulation study in August to better understand the feasibility of delivering an Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) via drone technology.

Invited guests were involved in a special event today (21st August) showcasing the most recent live flight trial, with presentations around the work conducted by Project CAELUS.