The Nelson Health Centre in South West London has become the first NHS primary care facility to use drone logistics for transporting pathology samples.
Since February, drones have been collecting samples from the facility in Raynes Park and delivering them in just over three minutes to the South West London Pathology (SWLP) laboratory at St George’s Hospital in Tooting for testing.
More than 2,000 patients have already benefited from the initiative. By reducing delivery times by 85 per cent compared with road transport, the service has accelerated access to test results, enabling clinicians to make faster decisions and providing patients with greater certainty about their care. The drones also support the NHS’s sustainability ambitions, producing 98 per cent fewer CO₂ emissions per delivery while helping to improve air quality across London.
Working with British healthcare logistics startup Apian and global drone operator Wing, SWLP aims to deploy drones to link additional hospital sites within the borough, as well as primary care and GP services.
Andy Christodoulou, senior portfolio manager, Community Health Partnerships, said: “The drones are a fantastic innovation that is helping the NHS to provide a smooth and effective operational service as we expand our services for the community. The drones are reliable and unintrusive, and the NHS staff and patients are always thrilled to see them. The initiative demonstrates how modern, fit for purpose NHS LIFT infrastructure can enable forward thinking innovation.”
SWLP MD Simon Brewer said: “We are investing heavily in automation and digitisation, introducing other cutting-edge technologies to improve diagnostic precision and speed across the network. But the impact of this investment will be restricted if samples are still getting stuck on roads. Drones help us move samples faster, cheaper, and greener, and are now a core consideration of our logistics plans.”
