Fury as NHS plans hundreds of weekly drone flights over London
The proposals could see the aircraft range as far as Wimbledon in the city's south west, to Chadwell Heath in the east, with the aim of cutting costs and reducing delays in delivering the vital samples by beating busy road congestion. Apian, the logistics company who would deploy the drones and oversee the flights, say they have provided more than 6,000 urgent supplies since their trial period started last November. The company's website says this has shown 'the capability to make faster, more reliable and more sustainable deliveries than traditional land-based modes of transport'.
They add that their trialled deliveries to the rooftops of Guy's and St Thomas' would have taken more than 30 minutes by road, but that they have been able to deliver them in just two minutes by drone. But as the NHS look to expand the services across the city, locals in some of the affected areas are divided at the prospect of having the drones buzz in the overhead airspace. While some praised it as a 'clever idea', others claimed it could potentially cause harmful accidents.
Natasha McCluney (pictured), 59, who works as a courier across Kensington, said: 'I really can't see that working. It all feels a bit too sci-fi to me. It doesn't feel like that's been trialled enough – and I can just imagine the drones crashing. I can't imagine the people living here would love things flying over their heads all day either. If it helps with the speed of those tests I'm all for progress – but blood samples feel like a really important thing to be transporting. So it makes me a bit nervous.'
Renee Dawkins (pictured), 23, who works near High Street Kensington, said 'it feels strange to not have something as important as blood samples in human hands'. She added: 'That being said, if it's more efficient, it makes sense to go for it. And I can imagine it would be a good cost-cutting measure if you don't have to employ lots of drivers to transport samples. But I imagine it might be disruptive. Will they have cameras? Will they be flying over people's houses? That's a concern.'
The safety of drone blood transportation was tested last year when NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) used Apian aircrafts to send 10 blood packs from Northumbria Hospital to Alnwick Infirmary and back again. Five were delivered by drone while the other five were by transported road, and the researchers concluded that using the aircraft did not influence the blood's quality or how long it lasted. NHSBT Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gail Miflin, said the results were 'very promising' after the drone delivered the packs on the 42-mile journey in 61 minutes, while the vehicle on road took 68 minutes.
On top of the existing link between Guy's and St Thomas', the new plans would see drone pathways link Charing Cross Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital, if approved. Queen Mary's Hospital, St George's Hospital and the Nelson Health Centre would also be linked south of the River Thames. And a third zone in east London would link King George Hospital, Queen's Hospital and Barking Hospital. This means the drones could fly over places like Kensington Palace, Hyde Park and Oxford Circus.
Kensington local Ben Vitalis (pictured), 26, said the strategy was a good way to 'modernise' health services and speed up transportation – but thought that issues such as the unpredictable British weather had been overlooked. Mr Vitalis said: 'I'm surprised by this being part of the flight path as it is a relatively residential area. I appreciate that the strategy could help modernise things and improve the running of services – especially in terms of beating congestion when it's vans and cars transporting samples. But I also foresee a lot of potential problems. Who will be in charge of the drones? How skilled are these drivers? And what about the weather? Will the drones manage in the rain or the fog? What about visibility? British weather isn't known for being the most reliable.'
Apian's website says the drones can fly in bad weather 'up to a point', adding that they have been used for deliveries in the mixed climates such as Australia, Finland and Ireland. It adds: 'If the weather is so extreme that flights are not possible, the deliveries will be made via existing ground-transport options.'
Barry Gerber (pictured), 55, lives near Hyde Park and praised the idea, saying: 'I think that's a good idea. I have no problem with that. Especially if it's going to help people be treated quicker. As long as they're not flying too low I can't foresee them being that disruptive. And I imagine if they're transporting medical supplies, these drones will be larger, and so they'll be higher up. As long as drones aren't being used to spy on people – I have no issue.' Apian say any cameras on the drones are used for the delivery of packages, not for taking any photographs. They say: '[The drones are] equipped with low-resolution, black-and-white camera sensors used primarily to assist with navigation and to help ensure the safety and reliability of our operations. There is no live feed of images available to anyone - including the pilots overseeing flights.'
Virginia O'Connor (pictured left), 70, who used to live in the UK but now lives in the US, was also positive about the plans on her visit back to London. She said: 'I think that sounds like a really clever idea. London is so congested – so that will really help with speed of transport. 'It's an effective way to use that technology. I don't think they're doing anything like that in the States.' Fereshteh Guillon, who lives across from Holland Park, feared any noise from the drones would be 'disruptive'. She said: 'Already, when I'm sitting in my conservatory, it's really noisy - with planes flying over every few minutes. Now I'm going to have to deal with drones as well? 'I don't mind if it's going to help the hospitals - but they should have soundproof drones. Surely that's possible. It also depends on the time of day. If it's at night that will be very disruptive.'
Ms Guillon (pictured) was also upset that locals who live along the flight paths had not been warned about the plans. She said: 'Why were there no consultations for this? They didn't ask any of us in the neighbourhood. I didn't receive any letters. They should inform people of these plans before they go ahead with them.' Apian told MailOnline that the plans are in 'early stages' and are being developed in co-ordination with the Civil Aviation Authority. They also said there will be an opportunity for local stakeholders, including residents, councils and businesses to have their say. A spokesperson added: 'As reported previously, we are excited to build on our successful work in London. Safety is our top priority. Apian works with industry-leading drone operators who have safely completed millions of deliveries worldwide. Every flight is monitored by a qualified pilot and backed by multiple layers of redundancy. This approach is helping us transform healthcare delivery through autonomous logistics technology.' MailOnline has approached NHS England for comment.
NHS England announced their first trial of the delivery service in July 2022, where they tested Apian drone transportation of chemotherapy drugs. These were flown from Portsmouth to a hospital on the Isle of Wight in 30 minutes, down from the four hours it normally takes by conventional transport. Chief Executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, announced the pilot as the health service marked its 74th birthday.
She said moving to drone technology would also be good for the environment by cutting carbon emissions from cars, ferries and planes. Boots Pharmacy then followed suit, announcing that it would be the first community pharmacy in the UK to deliver prescription medicines by an Apian drone. The pharmacy's first drone flew from the British Army's Baker Barracks on Thorney Island and arrived at St Mary's Hospital in Newport on the Isle of Wight on July 4, 2022.
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The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Streeting: We are doing everything we can to minimise patient harm during strike
Wes Streeting has said 'we are doing everything we can to minimise' patient harm as thousands of doctors go on strike over pay. A five-day walkout by resident doctors in England is under way, with members of the British Medical Association (BMA) manning picket lines across the country. The Health Secretary condemned the strike as 'reckless' and said the Government would not allow the BMA to 'hold the country to ransom'. Asked about the risk of patient harm, he told the PA news agency on Friday: 'I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. 'We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. 'What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. 'We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. 'They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors – working lives – and that's why I think this is such reckless action. 'This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year.' Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: 'When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. 'That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action..' It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. 'So the difference this time is the NHS has put a huge effort in to try and get back on its feet,' he said. 'As everybody's been aware, we've had a really tough period, and you really feel colleagues on the ground, local clinical leaders, clinical operational colleagues etc, really pulling together to try and get the NHS back on its feet. 'And we also learned from the last few rounds of industrial action that harm to patients and disruption to patients was much broader than the original definitions. So we've decided to say it needs to be a broader definition. We can't just focus on that small subset of care. 'Colleagues in the service have tried to keep as much going as humanly possible as well, and the early signs are that that's been achieved so far, but it is early doors. 'In the end, capacity will have to be constrained by the numbers of people we've actually got who do just turn up for work, and what that means in terms of safe provision, because the thing that colleagues won't compromise is safety in the actual delivery. But it does look like people have really heard that. 'They're really pulling together to maximise the range of services possible.' Asked about further strikes, he said: 'It is possible. I would hope not. I would hope after this, we'll be able to get people in a room and resolve the issue. 'But if we are in this with a six month mandate, we could be doing this once a month for the next next six months, but we've got to organise ourselves accordingly.' Asked why he was not willing to bump pay from what the BMA calculates is £18 an hour to £22 per hour, Mr Streeting told broadcasters: 'I think the public can see, and other NHS staff can see the willingness this Government showed from day one coming into office to try and deal with what had been over a decade of failure on behalf of the previous government, working with resident doctors to improve their pay and to improve the NHS. 'That's why resident doctors had a 28.9% pay award, and that's why the disruption they are inflicting on the country is so unnecessary and so irresponsible.' He said patients, particularly those who end up waiting a long time for care due to strikes, 'do come to harm, and however much the BMA try and sugarcoat it, what they are fundamentally doing today is forgetting the three words that should be at the forefront of every doctor's minds every day, which is, 'do no harm'.' On whether strikes are going to become the 'new normal', he added: 'As I've said before, the BMA have had a 28.9% pay award from this Government, and we were willing to go further to help on some of the working conditions that doctors face. 'That offer of joint working, that partnership approach, that hasn't gone away, but it does take two to tango, and I hope that the BMA will reflect very carefully on the disruption they are inflicting on patients, the pressures they're putting on their colleagues, and the circumstances in which they are doing so – a 28.9% pay rise and a government that was willing to work with them. 'Those are not grounds for strike action.' It comes after Sir Keir Starmer made a last-minute appeal to resident doctors, saying the strikes would 'cause real damage'. He added: 'Most people do not support these strikes. They know they will cause real damage… 'These strikes threaten to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year, choking off the recovery.' The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. The union took out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wanted to 'make clear that while a newly qualified doctor's assistant is taking home over £24 per hour, a newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just £18.62 per hour'. BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the union had been expecting more pay for doctors. He said: 'Where we were last year when we started the pay campaign, we were down a third on our pay compared to 2008. 'So you've got last year's pay offer which did indeed move us towards (pay restoration), but Wes Streeting himself said that pay restoration is a journey, not an event, implying that there would be further pay restoration to come, and we were expecting our pay to be restored in full – that's our campaign's goal. 'We got part way there, but then that came to a halt this year – we've only had an offer that brings us up, just to catch up with inflation.' Asked what it would take for doctors to go back to work, he said the BMA needed to see 'a clear, guaranteed pathway' to pay restoration. He added that 'it's very disappointing to see a Labour Government taking such a hard line against trade unions'. Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP.
Daily Mirror
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Striking doctors accuse Wes Streeting of a 'slap in the face' of trade unions
Angry doctors on picket lines demand Government increases their pay but Health Secretary Wes Streeting refuses to budge on 'unnecessary, reckless strike action' Thousands of doctors are out on strike today in a bitter pay dispute with the Government. Resident doctors across England are walking out for five days, demanding Labour commits to pay 'restoration', after over a decade of below-inflation deals under previous Tory governments. The British Medical Association has organised main regional picket lines for around 50,00 striking doctors at NHS sites in the North East, North West, Midlands, east of England and across the South. Dr Kelly Johnson told of her anger at Health Secretary Wes Streeting's opposition to the strikes. Speaking outside St Thomas' Hospital in London where she works, she said: "Every union has the right to strike. It feels like a slap in the face to say that we are doing something that is unjust. Just because we're doctors doesn't mean we can't come out and strike and protest for what we think is right." Speaking outside Leeds General Infirmary, paediatrics registrar Cristina Costache said: "Reducing the waiting list is a really good target but you're going to reduce the waiting list if you increase the numbers of posts, if you give better pay so the jobs don't leave for another country." Dr Ben Cowdry, posted on social media site X the crab emoji which has been adopted by a faction of resident doctors to represent not taking a backward step in their industrial dispute. He said: Today's picket at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. £22.67/hr is not an unreasonable ask. Doctors have subsidised the NHS for far too long. Perhaps Wes Streeting needs reminding that the power to stop these strikes lies squarely with the government.' Picket lines are being staged at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Southampton General Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Infirmary and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The BMA points to pay erosion since 2008 saying real terms salaries are down 20% since then according to the Retail Price Index measure of inflation. The Government's preferred measure of inflation, the Consumer Price Index, shows average resident doctor salaries down 5% since 2008 but ministers point out they have been increasing in real terms in recent years. The latest deal for 2025/26 consisted of a 4% uplift plus £750 "on a consolidated basis" - working out as an average rise of 5.4%, before inflation. Speaking outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Dr Fareed Al-Qusous, 26, said: "But the most recent pay uplift represents a 1% real terms uplift. At that rate it would take roughly 20 years to restore a 21% pay erosion. Wes Streeting said that pay restoration is a journey - we're willing to take him on that journey, but that journey is far beyond the lifespan of this Government. Dr Al-Qusous added: "'The power to stop these strikes lies squarely with this Government'. That is a direct quote from Wes Streeting when he was the shadow health secretary in 2022. That same logic and that responsibility lies with him at the moment. All he has to do is negotiate with us on pay. It doesn't have to be all in one year, it can be split over several years. We're asking for our pay to be restored. Our pay demands are only so high because our pay erosion has been so severe." Health Secretary Wes Streeting says doctors have received a 29% pay increase over the last three years, before inflation. This is because after Labour came to power it settled a dispute it inherited from the previous Tory government with a pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. However this covered a period of high inflation following the chaos of the short-lived Liz Truss government. Mr Streeting has insisted the 5.4% they received for 2025/26 is the highest in the public sector and all the Government can afford right now. The Royal College of Nursing is balloting its members over a 3.6% pay award. Mr Streeting said: "I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. "What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. "They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors - working lives - and that's why I think this is such reckless action. "This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year." It comes after NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: "When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action.." It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. Other NHS sites where striking doctors are gathering are the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. Melissa Ryan, co-chair of the BMA's resident doctor's committee, said she and other medics regularly receive job offers from hospitals Down Under. Ryan, a paediatric trainee working in Nottingham, told the Mirror: ' Australia sends me messages on social media saying 'come and work for us — we'd pay you better, you'd work less hours and the weather is better.' We have had new doctors, coming through, make those choices to leave because it's very stressful in the NHS but also because our pay is just not competitive and it's a global market for doctors.' Ryan, 45, continued: 'The problem is it's the patients who will miss out — we're already short staffed, we can't afford to lose a single more doctor to oversees work. What we need is for the Government to recognise the value of doctors, to reverse our pay erosion, actually come and talk and give us an offer and then I wouldn't need to be out here on strike, I could be back at work.' NHS leaders are urging the public to keep coming forward for care during five-day walkout and to turn up for appointments unless informed it has been cancelled. Charities warn industrial action will inevitably lead to cancellations in treatment and negatively impact patients, particularly those with less survivable cancers like lung, liver, and brain cancer. One person posted on social media site X - formerly Twitter - told how his elderly mum's appointment for today had been postponed He said: 'She's been waiting 18 months in agony and unable to walk. Is it in your code of ethics for her to be lying in pain until the new appt in February? I'd sack the lot of you… I tell you what if you don't like it go and get another job, stop being so cruel to people in desperate need of help, who have no quality of life while waiting for care.' It comes on the day other NHS workers followed resident doctors in rejecting the Government's pay deal, in a move that could lead to strikes further down the line. The GMB union said its thousands of health workers, including ambulance crews, voted by 67% against the 3.6% pay award offered for 2025/26 in England. It has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent meeting. Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, added: "We await his reply with interest." The GMB represents about 50,000 health workers including 20,000 in the ambulance service.
North Wales Chronicle
22 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Striking doctors tell of ‘poor pay' and difficult working conditions
Resident doctor Kelly Johnson said Health Secretary Wes Streeting's opposition to the strikes felt like 'a slap in the face'. Speaking outside St Thomas' Hospital in London, where she works, she told the PA news agency: 'Every union has the right to strike. It feels like a slap in the face to say that we are doing something that is unjust. 'Just because we're doctors doesn't mean we can't come out and strike and protest for what we think is right. 'When doctors decide to take strike action it's always portrayed as though we're being selfish, but we're here as a body to help the public day in, day out, to work hours that don't even end sometimes. 'Here we are just trying to get what's right for us so we can do our best to serve the public.' Around 30 doctors and supporters gathered outside Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) on Friday morning, waving placards and cheering as passing cars beeped horns in support. Cristina Costache, who is a paediatrics registrar at LGI and a PhD student, said: 'It's a very difficult decision to make always, because I love my job and that's the reason I went into it. I get depressed if I'm not in work. My heart is always at work. 'But I also care about my colleagues and my profession. 'I'm seeing more and more gaps as registrars. There's always a gap on the paediatric registrar rota. We end up having to cover the job of another paediatric registrar, of even two other paediatric registrars. 'My SHOs (senior house officers) also have gaps, so I sometimes have to cover their job as well as my registrar job. That's not safe and that's not okay. 'The reason that happens is that they're poorly paid. If you're poorly paid, why would you want to come in on your free time when you know you're going to be on nights the next day and then so three or four nights in a row?' Dr Costache said she left Romania due to the poor health infrastructure and lack of investment. She said: 'It's really sad to have seen in the last nine years, since being here, how the NHS is heading that way. Hence, I'm a trade unionist because I feel like I want to tell people, please don't do what has happened there. 'It can be really scary and really bad, and you don't want to be in that place.' Dave Bell, a retired nurse and member of the campaign group Keep Our NHS Public, stood in solidarity with striking doctors outside St Thomas' Hospital. 'Britain's doctors are the backbone of our NHS,' he said. 'If you ask anyone who's been to a hospital, they'll tell you those staff work their socks off.' He called for urgent 'pay restoration', adding: 'We need to value those doctors and restore their pay to what it was 15 years ago.' But he acknowledged the difficulty of strike action within NHS teams. 'I took strike action once when I was a nurse – of course it causes tensions. You're working hard, and if medical staff walk out, it gets even harder for those still in.' Despite this, he said unity is crucial, adding: 'In the long run, people have got to work together – the unions too. It can be overcome.' Some patients at St Thomas' Hospital voiced their support for the doctors. Jo Irwin, 72, who was attending the London hospital for a blood test before surgery for a hernia, said she had 'no hesitation' in backing the walkout. 'I am fully behind the strikes and the public should be as well,' she said. 'Without these doctors I would be dead. They are looking after sick people. I am very angry about it. 'They should get all the money they want and more than (Prime Minister Sir) Keir Starmer and his cronies.' Mohammed Dinee, 42, from Brixton, also backed the industrial action after being admitted recently with back pain. 'Today I had a physiotherapy appointment, it was fine, no complaints,' he said. 'But I got admitted the other day for back pain – you could feel it. It was difficult to get an MRI scan. 'They're strained, being inside St Thomas' you can see it. I fully support them.' Speaking outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Dr Fareed Al-Qusous, 26, a year three academic foundation doctor, said resident doctors had 'the most severe pay erosion compared to all the other sectors'. 'The private sector's pay has caught up with 2008 levels, the finance sector has gone up by 4%, whereas doctors' pay has gone down by 21%,' he said. 'We want to be realistic about things, we want to be pragmatic, we don't want it all in one year, we don't want it over two years. 'We want a multi-year pay deal, a guarantee that pay will be restored.'
