NHS to test using drones to fly chemotherapy drugs to Isle of Wight

The NHS plans to use drones to fly chemotherapy drugs to cancer patients in England to avoid the need for long journeys to collect them.

The devices will transport doses from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight in a trial that, if successful, will lead to drones being used for similar drops elsewhere.

They will take 30 minutes to travel across the Solent, which will save patients on the island a three to four-hour round trip by ferry or hovercraft.

The drones weigh 85kg, have a wingspan of 5 metres and can carry up to 20kg. The scheme is the result of a partnership between NHS England and the technology company Apian.

If the flights prove successful it will be much more convenient for the majority of cancer patients on the Isle of Wight who now have to travel to the mainland to receive their drugs.

New research by Sheffield University showed that sending people a new home testing kit every year until they return one could prompt 13.6% more people to do so.

The study was funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and is published in the journal Preventative Medicine.