South West London Pathology and St George’s NHS drone delivery network
Apian and Wing are providing a drone logistics service for South West London Pathology (SWLP) and St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (St George’s).
Find out more in our partnership announcement.
More information about this project can be found in the frequently asked questions below:
Frequently asked questions
Trial details
What are you transporting?
In the initial phase, we will be transporting blood samples from patients across primary care to enable them to receive their results more quickly. This will include those with acute illnesses, long term conditions, or requiring routine monitoring.
When will the service take place?
The service will commence in the coming weeks for an initial six month period following final approvals from the Civil Aviation Authority.
Who is the team behind this trial?
The service is a partnership between SWLP, St George’s, Apian and Wing.
What are the benefits of medical drone delivery?
Drone delivery provides the NHS with a new class of logistics capability, delivering faster and more predictable transport for time-critical medical items such as blood, pathology samples and urgent medicines. By avoiding road congestion and staffing constraints, drones ensure that items reach the right place at the right time in support of patient care, improving reliability across clinical pathways.
When deployed within a regulated national framework, medical drones operate safely, cost-effectively and with a significantly lower environmental footprint than road-based alternatives, while also strengthening the resilience of NHS services during periods of disruption. You can read more about the benefits and use cases of NHS drone delivery here.
When do you fly?
We fly Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Can I get a delivery to my home?
This trial is exclusively for the delivery of medical products between hospitals and health facilities. There will be no deliveries to individual homes.
Drone and airspace details
What are the characteristics of the drone?
The Wing drone is primarily made of foam, weighs around 5kg, carries packages of around 1kg, and will cruise at about 100 km/h. The drone has been flown on three continents with over 750,000 commercial deliveries and thousands more test and simulation flights. Learn more about the Wing drone here.
How high do the drones fly?
The drones will fly at a height of approximately 115 metres above ground level.
What route do the drones take?
The drones will fly between sites in the SWLP network in South West London. This includes:
St George’s Hospital
The Nelson Health Centre
They will only fly within the airspace corridor approved by the Civil Aviation Authority covering these sites.
How fast do they get there?
In this network, we expect drones to reduce pathology sample delivery times from collection points to St George’s Hospital by up to 85%, supporting faster clinical decision-making and improved patient outcomes. The specific figures are:
| Collection point | By road | By drone | Duration reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Nelson Health Centre | ~20 minutes | ~3 minutes | 85% |
Who flies the drone?
The drones are highly automated and operate along pre-programmed flight routes. All flights are overseen by a certified and trained Pilot in Command.
Can the drone fly in bad weather?
Yes, the drones can tolerate significant rain and wind, up to a point of course! The drones have been used for routine deliveries in the heat of Australia, the cold of Finland, and the rain of Ireland. If the weather is so extreme that flights are not possible, the deliveries will be made via existing ground-transport options.
Are the drones safe?
Yes, Wing’s delivery drones are among the safest ways to transport goods; they are safer for the community than having goods delivered by truck or car. There are multiple levels of redundancy built into the drones operations, including real-time systems that conduct health and safety checks on the drones and qualified pilots who oversee operations. The safety of Wing’s aircraft, personnel and operations are rigorously reviewed and all operations can only be undertaken with the approval of the regulators in each country Wing operates. In the UK, Wing works closely with the Civil Aviation Authority.
Do you need permission to fly?
Yes. Commercial drone delivery operations, such as these, are highly regulated by governmental agencies and require a specific operational authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority - the same authority that regulates crewed aviation (such as passenger planes).
Additionally, airspace approval is necessary before flying to ensure safe coordination with other airspace users, such as the Police, the Armed Forces, Fire Brigades, and Air Ambulances. The UK Civil Aviation Authority has reviewed these operations and has issued our airspace approval.
Do the drones have cameras?
Wing’s drones are built with the goal of delivering packages – not taking photographs. They’re equipped with low-resolution, black-and-white camera sensors used primarily to assist with navigation and to help ensure the safety and reliability of the operations. There is no live feed of images available to anyone — including the pilots overseeing flights.
How environmentally friendly is it?
All the drones are fully electric and emit zero carbon emissions during flight. Lightweight commercial drones can reduce CO2e emissions by up to 99% compared to non-electric cars, and reduce transportation electricity needed compared to electric delivery vans.
Will I be able to hear the drones from my home/business?
From our experience, most people do not notice the drones flying overhead. The drones fly at approximately 115 metres above ground level and can pass extremely quickly at a speed of over 100 km/h. While flying, the drone average noise level is lower than city sounds from ground-level and significantly quieter than a car driving by.
Further information
Who can I talk to for more information?
Whether you’re a local resident, a patient or someone who works for the NHS, we’d love to hear from you!
If you’d like to hear more about this, or have any other questions or feedback, then we encourage you to reach out to us directly at feedback@apian.health or write to us at Apian, 2-6 Boundary Row, London SE1 8HP.
