Wealthy residents near Britain’s most famous children’s hospital outraged at plans to have ‘drones carrying blood’ fly over their homes
Residents living near Great Ormond Street Hospital in central London have raised concerns about a trial using drones to transport urgent blood samples to nearby laboratories, fearing noise disruption and safety risks in a densely populated residential area. The hospital, working with healthcare logistics firm Apian, says the scheme could speed up sample transport by up to 90% and cut emissions, but locals argue the technology is unnecessary given how close the destination laboratory is and question whether it is proportionate to the risks involved.
The drones, Matternet M2 models flying at 110 metres and capable of carrying up to two kilograms over roughly 12.4 miles, would fly weekdays between 8am and 5pm to a lab on Euston Road less than half a mile from the hospital. Bloomsbury Residents Action Group co-chairs Debbie Radcliffe and Trevor Shonfeld said neighbours were worried about noise, visibility and psychological distress, with Shonfeld questioning why a five-minute bike ride was being replaced by drone technology. Similar drone flights already operate between Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals over the Thames; Great Ormond Street says its current trial involves only a small number of flights carrying no actual samples, and that it contacted residents beforehand but received no responses.
- GOSH trials blood-sample drones; nearby residents fear noise and safety risks
- Drones could cut sample transport times by up to 90%, hospital says
- Residents question need given lab is under half a mile away
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Residents living close to Great Ormond Street Hospital, one of the best-known children's hospitals in the UK, have objected to a trial using small drones to carry blood samples to a laboratory nearby. The scheme is being run with a healthcare logistics company called Apian, which says drones could get samples to the lab far faster than current methods and with less environmental impact.
The area around the hospital, in the Bloomsbury district of central London, is densely populated, and some residents fear the drones will bring noise, safety hazards and general disruption to daily life. A local residents' group has been vocal in raising these concerns, while the hospital maintains it tried to consult neighbours in advance.
The issue matters because it touches on a wider debate about how hospitals should modernise urgent transport of medical materials, and how new technology is introduced into residential neighbourhoods without full buy-in from those living there. Similar drone deliveries already take place at other London hospitals, making this trial part of a broader shift in how the NHS handles logistics.