Drones bring samples to Tooting's St George's Hospital
Drones have been picking up samples for testing, and delivering them in just over three minutes to the lab at Tooting’s St George’s Hospital since February.
The drones help deliver faster, reliable results at a time of heightened pressure on NHS services.
South West London Pathology provides services to a patient population of 1.8 million people, processing 51 million samples a year for all NHS trusts and GP services in south west London. Working with British healthcare logistics startup Apian, SWLP aims to deploy drones across its network, including St Helier, Croydon and Kingston hospitals.
Over 2,000 patients have already benefited from deliveries that are up to 85% faster than by road. By speeding up test results, the service allows clinicians to provide more timely and effective care for patients.
“What once may have seemed like something from a sci-fi film is now very much a reality across our hospital sites, as drones help us to deliver faster and greener care, cutting emissions while continuing to prioritise patient safety”, says Kate Slemeck, Managing Director for St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Group, on how drones collect samples from the Nelson Health Centre in Raynes Park and deliver them to the lab at St George’s for testing – cutting delivery time from around 20 minutes to just over three.
🎥 St George’s Trust