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Medical drone trial crosses the Clyde |
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Project CAELUS Crosshouse to Arran © NHS Ayrshire and Arran
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Drones have flown laboratory samples between the Isle of Arran and a mainland hospital for the very first time.
Project CAELUS has broken new ground for Scotland with a successful three-week trial of live flying across the Firth of Clyde.
This innovation could reduce delivery times for critical medicines and blood products from several hours to just 30 minutes.
It follows recent successful trials which saw drones transport medical supplies between Edinburgh and Melrose.
Fiona Smith, Project Director for CAELUS, said the partnership crosses industry, the NHS and academia to build a national network of drones to support essential medical transport to rural areas:
“Project CAELUS continues to work hard and be at the cutting edge of innovation.
“Our goal is to build a national drone network that can transport essential medicines, blood, and other medical supplies efficiently, particularly for Scotland's rural and island communities.
“This technology could provide quicker diagnostic results and treatment decisions, ultimately improving patient care across the country.”
Led by NHS Grampian, the project is taking a “Once for Scotland” approach to understand the role drones could play in mitigating challenges in healthcare access in remote and rural areas across the country.
Consultant Clinical Scientist Janet Hogg from the department of biochemistry in NHS Ayrshire & Arran said the region is well positioned to participate in the drone trial because of its vast geographical area of island and remote populations:
“Exploring how drone technology could be usefully used as a way of delivering care to people who live in urban, remote, rural and island locations, is edging ever-closer to a reality.
“This work has the potential to greatly enhance patient experience.”
This latest flight trial tested the use of drones in faster diagnostic testing, urgent blood product deliveries and emergency medical supplies.
It is believed drones could reduce the reliance on road and ferry services which can slow access to critical treatment.
A drone can make the journey from University Hospital Crosshouse to the Isle of Arran in just 30 minutes whereas it can take up to five hours by car and ferry.
The CAELUS consortium comprises:
Read more: Digital health: short-term cuts, long-term setbacks; AI for early heart attack diagnosis; AI in NHS Scotland is here – but the leaders aren’t
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