Matternet has commenced drone delivery operations at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, adding the specialist pediatric hospital to its NHS network in partnership with healthcare logistics company Apian. The service carries time-sensitive pathology samples to nearby laboratories operated by The Doctors Laboratory, according to Matternet’s October 20 announcement.
Matternet says the flights can reduce urgent sample delivery times by up to 90% compared with existing methods. Great Ormond Street treats children with rare and complex conditions, making faster transport potentially useful when clinicians are waiting for laboratory results.
The initial service links GOSH with TDL facilities, with the partners planning to add more sites. Dr Tim Liversedge, GOSH’s chief of staff for core clinical services, said the partnership is intended to help clinical teams transport and test samples faster.
The announcement does not identify which Matternet aircraft is serving GOSH. It follows the company’s separate announcement of its M3 delivery platform, but DroneLife reports that Matternet has not identified M3 as the aircraft for the hospital service.
Matternet says its London NHS network operates under approvals from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Apian says its services have delivered thousands of patient samples while reducing costs and carbon emissions compared with traditional ground couriers, according to the company announcement.
The time saving applies to transport: DroneLife notes that total turnaround also depends on how quickly laboratories process the samples. The companies did not disclose the number of flights or samples planned for the new hospital connection.