NHS drone flight is a first for Scotland
The flight took place between the Edinburgh BioQuarter next to the city's Royal Infirmary and the Borders General Hospital in Melrose.
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Hide AdThe trial, involving NHS Lothian and NHS Borders, was part of Project CAELUS - led by AGS Airports in partnership with NHS Scotland.
The aim is to cut the time it takes to deliver the specimens which are used to inform urgent clinical decision-making.
At present, it can take several hours for them to make their way between the two health boards. That could be cut to about 35 minutes by drones making the trip of 30 miles (50km) as the crow flies.
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Hide AdProject CALEUS is working with a range of groups to deliver what would be the first national drone network for transporting medicines, bloods and other medical supplies.
Project director Fiona Smith 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.
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Hide Ad"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."
She said it was an "important milestone" and they looked forward to further tests.
Hazel Dempsey, CAELUS NHS Scotland programme lead, added: "Our aim is to explore opportunities where drone technology could benefit patients and NHS services in urban, remote, rural and island landscapes.
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Hide Ad"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 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 well-being of our population."