Drones will carry pathology samples from the Nelson Health Centre in Merton to SWLP's central laboratory at St George's Hospital in Tooting, with delivery times expected to be reduced by up to 85%. By supporting GP and primary care services at the Nelson Health Centre, this network will show how drone delivery can support plans to shift care from hospitals into the community.
The new service, on behalf of South West London Pathology (SWLP) network and St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, demonstrates how the NHS is advancing innovative logistics solutions to overcome the limitations of traditional, road-based transport and improve patient outcomes.
This builds on the successful first phase of London's NHS drone delivery network with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and pathology provider Synnovis. Apian's service - operated by drone partner Wing - safely transported more than 6,000 patient samples, providing average cost savings of 28% and reducing CO₂ emissions by 98.4% per delivery compared to dedicated urgent ad hoc courier vans.
The new services bring together SWLP and St George's with Apian, a British autonomous logistics startup founded by NHS doctors, and Wing, a global drone operator with more than 750,000 commercial deliveries worldwide. Working closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority and in close partnership with air traffic management provider NATS, the service will proceed following the conclusion of final regulatory requirements in the coming weeks.
Simon Brewer, managing director at SWLP, said: ‘By introducing drones into our logistics operations, we're harnessing cutting-edge technology to improve NHS services. We'll be able to avoid disruption on south west London's notoriously busy roads, while accelerating turnaround times, enabling clinicians to make timely decisions and deliver world-class care. This first phase is an exciting step in understanding how drone logistics can support more cost-effective and resilient pathology services across south west London.'
Kate Slemeck, managing director for St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, added: ‘Drone technology will allow us to be faster and greener, while continuing to prioritise patient safety. By working with local partners such as primary care, we can treat patients closer to home while giving them their test results more quickly.'
Dr Mike Eager, medical integration lead at Apian, said: ‘Working with SWLP and St George's, we'll help deliver high-quality pathology services to more than 1.3 million patients across South West London. We'll also be supporting plans to deliver care closer to home with the integration of primary care into this network.
‘With growing evidence of the clinical, commercial, and environmental benefits of drone delivery, it's fantastic to be working with the NHS to scale this innovation across the nation's capital.'
Heather Rivera, chief business officer at Wing, added: ‘The opportunity to leverage Wing's proven technology to serve the NHS and the South West London community is an exciting one. Continuing our work with Apian and the NHS to improve patient outcomes throughout London demonstrates the value of having built drone delivery technology that can be trusted to deliver safely and efficiently, even in the complex airspace over one of the world's great cities.'
