Blood samples and medicines are being flown between Angus and Dundee in a pioneering trial launched from Scotland’s first drone port.
The technology was shown off in demonstration flight at Stracathro Hospital near Brechin on Thursday.
Dozens of beyond line of sight drone flights will be made between now and the end of the trial in November.
And those behind the project say it could transform the transportation of vital samples to the main testing lab at the region’s biggest hospital.
The on-demand collection and delivery service is being trialled by Mercury Drone Ports and NHS Tayside.
It will allow samples to be taken from surgeries and other health facilities for analysis at the Ninewells pathology lab quicker and more reliably than road.
Many of the flights will take place between Montrose and Stracathro, and then Stracathro and Ninewells.
The flight time of less than half an hour could dramatically cut the time a road transfer might take in busy conditions.
Tay Cities Deal support
Mercury Drone Ports is a public-private partnership between Angus Council and drone company DTLX.
It is receiving support from the £26.5 million Angus fund of the Tay Cities Deal.
The pioneering drone port will be at the ZeroFour Hub in Montrose, a partnership between Angus Council and Crown Estate Scotland.
Planning permission in principle is in place for a mixed-use business park on the 123-acre Broomfield site.
A hotel, leisure and conference facilities are also planned.
Mercury Drone Ports is providing a trials airspace area for other drone firms and clients to conduct on and offshore flight trials.
So the NHS Tayside partnership is just one of many opportunities being explored.
Rural connectivity
Angus Council leader Beth Whiteside, said: “By working with NHS Tayside with the introduction of an on-demand, eco-friendly, drone transportation service we hope to play our part in transforming the health system in Angus.
“We are delighted to be able to lead the way through using innovative technologies to increase connectivity with our rural facilities, whilst reducing our carbon footprint as we begin to tackle the climate emergency with a green infrastructure-first approach.”
Chris Hind of NHS Tayside says the technology could prove invaluable in responding to challenges like the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This trial will be used to test a fast and frequent drone transport service for a range of pathology samples,” said the diagnostics laboratories manager.
“NHS Tayside plans to extend phlebotomy testing hours at some regional medical practices.
“We are very interested in testing additional logistical support to transport patient samples, which would permit samples to be taken at later times than currently possible for delivery to the main testing lab at Ninewells Hospital.
“We believe a drone delivery service will help to improve diagnostic sample transport times across Angus and other rural areas, helping NHS Tayside to provide an equitable level of healthcare, regardless of a patient’s geographical location.
“This also has the potential to be a more efficient, cost effective and lower carbon means of increasing capacity whilst improving provision in the region.”
Eight-week trial
The drone flights will be operated by Skyports Drone Services.
It has conducted multiple projects across Scotland, including the country’s first medical drone delivery trials in 2019.
Operations manager Alistair Skitmore said: “Our work with Mercury Drone Ports in Angus represents an exciting step towards realising permanent drone operations across Scotland.
“During our eight weeks of flight trials we’ll be demonstrating a range of drone use cases, including the delivery of medical equipment for NHS Tayside and survey operations for Angus Council.
“Our objective with these flights is to highlight the vast benefits and use cases for drone operations to regulators, government, and local communities.”
The Montrose innovation hub
The £500m Montrose project could bring 2,000 jobs to Angus.
It sits beside the existing Broomfield and Forties Road industrial estates.
And the project took a major step forward this week with the announcement of several key contracts.
Those include the appointment scheme’s architect, cost consultant, project manager and infrastructure engineer.
ZeroFour takes its name from the original runway call sign for RAF Montrose which was based there.
And work is underway to dig up Second World War runways at the Broomfield site.
The temporary ‘tin lino’ runways were used by Spitfire and Hurricane pilots during the Battle of Britain to protect Scotland’s east coast and Edinburgh from German attack.
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