What we do

Medical logistics in the UK are in a chronic condition:

• The NHS accounts for 5% of all road traffic in England;
• Slow laboratory turnaround times cost lives;
• Unreliable and uncoordinated deliveries cause overstocking, duplicates services and wastes money.

We believe drones can help by providing a vital, on-demand delivery of faster, smarter, greener healthcare.

• Saving time by flying over the congested streets;
• Saving money (if the service operates at large scale);
• Making medical logistics more efficient by enabling deliveries which are not currently feasible;
• Providing medical products and tests to patients and clinicians more quickly;
• Reducing traffic on roads.

See Flying High: The future of drone technology in UK cities.

Apian works with all different types of electric drones ensuring the right tool for the right job. This ranges from fixed-wing hybrid VTOL (vertical take off and landing) for long range endurance flights, to multi-rotor for easier to launch, shorter flight times. The largest drones we use have a wingspan of 5m and can carry up to 25kg in weight.

Our largest drones have a flying time of up to 1.5 hours on a single charge and a maximum speed of 100mph.

Whilst we’re working with a number of drone manufacturers to increase the payload weight, the current maximum weight we can deliver is 25kg.

Our drones are flown by drone operators with a valid CAA permission for commercial work. We are vendor neutral and put out our contracts to tender.

Aviation is safer than road transport. There have been no known collisions between small drones and manned aircraft in the UK. The CAA’s analysis indicates two incidents of proximity per million flight movements and, for this specific risk, the likelihood of an actual collision would be considerably less than this. The average fatality rate for passengers carried by UK operators is 1 in 287 million. In comparison, in the UK there is a 1 in 17,000 chance of being killed in a road accident and a 1 in 19 million chance of being killed by a lightning strike.

All drone operators procured by Apian are required to adhere to our standards and best practise guidelines providing proof of their safety systems and relevant insurance policies.

References:

• CAA: How safe is aviation.
• CAA: Drone Safety Risk: An assessment.
• E-Drone FAQ

• CAA: Guidance on Unmanned Aircraft and Aircraft Systems
• MHRA
• CQC
• NHSX DTAC

We can fly in the same weather conditions that Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) fly in.

During takeoff, landing and hovering drones are comparable in sound to a lawnmower. When cruising in forward flight under the power of the propeller, the noise is barely audible and certainly quieter than a car.