Latest news with #Guy'sHospital
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Fury as NHS plans hundreds of weekly drone flights over London
An NHS plan to fly drones over popular London hotspots has been branded 'crazy' by worried locals who are scared the aircraft may crash. The health service are looking to use the drones to deliver urgent blood samples between 12 hospitals across London after a six-month trial period at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals. 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.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE NHS plot to fly hundreds of drones a week over Kensington Palace, Hyde Park and Oxford Circus branded 'crazy' by worried Londoners scared they might CRASH or cause disruption
An NHS plan to fly drones over popular London hotspots has been branded 'crazy' by worried locals who are scared the aircraft may crash. The health service are looking to use the drones to deliver urgent blood samples between 12 hospitals across London after a six-month trial period at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals. 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, 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, 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. The safety of drone blood transportation was tested last year when NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) used Apian aircrafts to send 10 blood packs (above) from Northumbria Hospital to Alnwick Infirmary and back again 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, 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, 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, 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? Virginia O'Connor (left) used to live in the UK but now lives in the US and was positive about the plans on her visit back to London '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 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. Apian told MailOnline that the plans are in 'early stages' and are being developed in co-ordination with the Civil Aviation Authority 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.
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
NHS drones to fly over Kensington Palace and Hyde Park
NHS drones will fly over Kensington Palace, Hyde Park and Oxford Circus under new plans to ferry urgent medical samples across London. Plans for autonomous flights between 12 hospitals in the capital have been submitted to the airspace regulator in what could lead to a city-wide drone network. The proposals would allow flights over large swathes of London, ranging from Wimbledon in South West London to Chadwell Heath in East London. The NHS is hoping that drone flights can cut costs and lead to much faster test results. It has been trialling the technology to deliver samples between the roofs of Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals south of the Thames, a distance of just under one and a half miles. Apian, the medical logistics company behind the trials, has already delivered 5,000 blood samples and recently secured permission to expand flights between the hospitals from 10 a day to 40. It is now seeking to expand the system with new 'air highways' linking other hospitals. One would link hospitals including Charing Cross, Great Ormond Street, University College Hospital and the Royal Free over central and north London. Another would cover Queen Mary's Hospital, St George's Hospital and the Nelson Health Centre around Wimbledon, Tooting and Putney, with a third zone in East London linking King George Hospital, Queen's Hospital and Barking Hospital. If approved, the plans would make the autonomous vehicles a frequent sight over central London. Apian, which uses drones made by Google's Wing unit, started the flights between Guy's and St Thomas' in November, allowing blood samples from the former to be quickly analysed at St Thomas' laboratory. Previously, samples had been couriered by motorcycle, which the companies said added to congestion and took half an hour on average, compared to a two minute flight between the hospitals by drone. Apian claims the drones are also 40pc cheaper. Apian was founded by two NHS doctors, Christopher Law and Hammad Jeilani, as well as Alexander Trewby, an entrepreneur who sold his security company to Google. The company has also carried out trials in Northumberland and The Solent. It recently unveiled a tie-up with Silicon Valley drone company Matternet and is developing autonomous ground robots, which could collect samples from the drone on a hospital roof and deliver them to the lab. The innovation agency Nesta has proposed a city-wide drone network of 34 hospitals across the capital. Civil Aviation Authority rules require airspace to be closed off to other vehicles when autonomous drones are flying, although the regulator is supporting a series of trials designed to allow drones to share the sky with other aircraft. Amazon is developing plans to launch household drone deliveries in Darlington later this year.
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Sepsis: Teen Hamish Wilson 'rebuilding his life' after surgery
A teenager who lost parts of all four limbs to sepsis says he is now rebuilding his life, including using public transport alone and going to Wilson, who is 18 and from Crowborough, East Sussex, was taken ill shortly after starting at Southampton University in October 2024, eventually requiring the amputation of both legs, a hand and the fingers of his remaining says he "doesn't see the point in getting really upset about it anymore", after his latest round of says he is enjoying being on his own for the first time in six months. He told BBC South East he had been upset when he was initially diagnosed, "because I'm human"."But now it's happened, and nothing's going to change it," he said. "I think I might as well just deal with it and get on with it as well as I can do."I've never really had a panic about being on my own. I hadn't been left on my own for six months, so, this is the best thing ever." What is sepsis?Sepsis and how to spot it The most recent surgery took place at Guy's and St Thomas' George Murphy said: "We did liposuction and got rid of some of the bad scars. "We shaved down a bone that was a bit prominent as said: "It all went pretty much as planned and we can always come back and do more if necessary." Hamish's brother, Rory Wilson, has even had a tattoo in his said: "I'm daily impressed."His life has changed in an unimaginable way and he's been told by different doctors, different people that he shouldn't be doing that, you can't be doing that, and he's just like, 'yeah, well you know'.Rory said: "He's kind of got that spirit of being a young adult and 'I'm invincible again' and it's just nice to see."
Medscape
02-06-2025
- Business
- Medscape
Tezepelumab Curbs Oral Corticosteroid Use in Severe Asthma
The addition of tezepelumab to standard treatment allowed half the adults with severe asthma to discontinue their use of oral corticosteroids (OCS) after 1 year, according to new data from nearly 300 individuals. Tezepelumab, a human monoclonal antibody, has been associated with reduction in the use of OCS in patients with OCS-dependent asthma, David J. Jackson, MD, professor and clinical director, Guy's Severe Asthma Centre at Guy's Hospital King's College London, London, England, and colleagues wrote in an abstract presented at American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2025 International Conference. Many patients with severe asthma take OCS, but previous research has shown associations between extended OCS use and increased risk for a range of side effects including osteoporosis and fractures, hypertension, and infections, and more strategies are needed to help these patients reduce OCS use, the researchers noted. 'We know prolonged oral corticosteroid use leads to adverse effects, including bone, cardiovascular, metabolic, gastrointestinal and psychiatric disorders, and adrenal insufficiency,' Jackson said in an interview. 'The WAYFINDER trial is a multicenter, open-label, single-arm trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of tezepelumab compared to placebo in severe asthma patients who require maintenance use of OCS alongside their standard treatment,' he said. A previous phase 3 OCS-sparing study known as SOURCE did not meet its primary endpoint, but patients with baseline blood eosinophil counts ≥ 150 cels/μL who received tezepelumab achieved a reduction in daily maintenance OCS (mOCS) dose compared with placebo patients, the researchers wrote in their abstract. 'The WAYFINDER trial was designed to accelerate data collection and specifically address the complexities in the SOURCE trial design that may have contributed to the result of the primary endpoint,' Jackson told Medscape Medical News . The WAYFINDER trial enrolled 298 adults with severe asthma who had received OCS for at least 3 months before starting the study. All participants received 210 mg of subcutaneous tezepelumab every 4 weeks for up to 52 weeks after a 4-week induction period. The co-primary endpoints were the proportion of patients who reduced their daily mOCS to 5 mg/d or less or discontinued OCS without loss of asthma control. A total of 273 patients completed the study; the mean baseline mOCS was 10.8 mg/d, and patients were assessed at 28 weeks and 52 weeks. Overall, 88.9% and 89.9% of patients reduced their mOCS to 5 mg/d or less by week 28 and week 52, respectively, while 32.2% and 50.3% discontinued OCS at these time periods, respectively. In a post hoc analysis, 82.2% of patients whose reason for systemic corticosteroids was related to adrenal insufficiency achieved an mOCS dose of 5 mg/d or less without loss of asthma control at week 52. The study was limited by the open-label design, but the safety profile was consistent with previous studies of tezepelumab, researchers said. A 2023 meta-analysis of safety data on tezepelumab for uncontrolled asthma showed that the most common adverse events were nasopharyngitis, headache, and bronchitis, and most AEs occurred within a month of starting tezepelumab. Rates of serious adverse events were lower in patients receiving tezepelumab than those receiving placebo in a pooled analysis. The standout findings from the study are the clinically meaningful reductions in maintenance OCS use or complete discontinuation achieved with tezepelumab among a broad severe asthma patient population, Jackson told Medscape Medical News . In addition, two thirds of participants remained exacerbation-free despite OCS dose reductions, and the OCS-sparing effect of tezepelumab was observed across pre-specified patient subgroups, including those defined by baseline blood eosinophil counts (BEC), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) level and allergy status, Jackson said. 'These findings reinforce tezepelumab's efficacy in severe asthma as the first and only biologic targeting thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) with demonstrated efficacy for severe asthma patients across phenotypes and irrespective of biomarker levels including BEC, allergic status, and FeNO,' he said. Improving Short-Term Health and Long-Term Wellness 'For people living with severe asthma, achieving stable control and reducing or eliminating reliance on oral corticosteroids is a critical goal, not only for respiratory health but also for long-term well-being,' Jackson told Medscape Medical News . 'By showing the benefit of targeting TSLP at the top of the inflammatory cascade and controlling asthma effectively with tezepelumab, we may be able to reduce these risks from OCS and significantly improve control for patients living with severe asthma,' Jackson said. 'We look forward to sharing a manuscript in the future for the phase 3b WAYFINDER study,' he added. Support for Steroid-Sparing The current study highlights an important population: Patients with asthma who are dependent on OCS, said Sucharita Kher, MD, pulmonologist and vice chair of clinical operations and quality for the Department of Medicine at Tufts Medical Center, in an interview. The endpoint tapering OCS without loss of asthma control is clinically meaningful because of the known side effects of OCS, said Kher, who was not involved in the study. The results were not unexpected, but more details on whether patients with eosinophils below 150 cells/µL also benefitted from tezepelumab would be helpful, Kher noted. The data are exciting because they suggest another option for patients with OCS dependent asthma, said Kher. 'The data also guide clinicians to adopt a strategy to wean patients off OCS when on tezepelumab with the goal of reducing OCS exposure and hence, side effects of prolonged OCS use,' she said. 'We know that OCS have side effects and negative consequences on factors including bone health, blood pressure, and blood sugar control and infection risk,' she added. Potential barriers to expanding the use of tezepelumab for reducing OCS in asthma patients exist at the patient and healthcare systems levels, Kher told Medscape Medical News . Patient-level barriers include cost sharing, worry/hesitancy about injections, lack of specialty access, and patient health literacy, she said. In addition, healthcare system barriers include a lack of knowledge on the part of primary care providers, and even some specialty physicians, of the benefits of biologics for severe asthma, said Kher. Other potential challenges include limited infrastructure in clinician offices, such as trained personnel and staff to navigate prior auth/insurance mandates, pre-authorization barriers, and denials based on tiers by insurance companies, she noted. 'Overcoming the barriers requires a multipronged approach, improving awareness and education for healthcare professionals, improve access to specialty care for patients, and advocacy to reduce the processes for insurance approvals,' Kher said.
