Drone medical courier services trialled by EMED Group and Skyports Drone Services

EMED Group, a healthcare logistic provider to the NHS in the UK, and Skyports Drone Services, a drone logistics and monitoring company, have successfully completed a proof-of-concept project aimed at bringing additional innovation and sustainability benefits to medical courier services.

The four-week drone trial took place in June, with help from the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), an existing EMED Group customer.

The project successfully transported over 400 pathology samples between two ESNEFT sites using drones, highlighting how regular and recurring drone operations can support traditional medical courier services – improving services for patients and healthcare professionals.

“This project is an important milestone highlighting innovative practices in the medical courier space,” said Craig Smith, Group CEO of EMED Group. “As a healthcare business, we are driven by our mission to improve the wellbeing of the communities we serve. This initiative is a great example of this.”

Alex Brown, Director of Skyports Drone Services, added: “We’re at a really important stage in the scaling of medical drone logistics. Projects such as this one with EMED are helping pave the way for permanent operations by demonstrating just how safe, beneficial and effective drone services are and the ease with which they can be implemented. Each delivery we complete ensures that a patient receives the care they need that bit quicker. At scale, the impact is transformational.”