The researchers at University of Strathclyde are developing a national drone network throughout Scotland. The network is intended to transport medicines, bloods and other medical supplies by drone, including to remote communities in Scotland. The consortium has already designed drone landing stations for National Health Service (NHS) sites across Scotland and developed a virtual model of the proposed delivery network. The vision is to connect hospitals, pathology laboratories, General Practice surgeries and distribution centres across the country. The first live flight is expected to take place in 2023. Hazel Dempsey, innovation project manager at NHS Grampian, said it was looking at how drones could improve logistics, particularly for urgent deliveries where they might otherwise need to use taxis or other inefficient methods. She gave the example of chemotherapy treatment for myeloid leukaemia, where subcutaneous injections need to be taken on 7 consecutive days, every 28 days. The medication has to be freshly prepared by a specialist laboratory, which means patients in remote areas may need to travel for hours each day to reach a hospital able to provide treatment. Fiona Smith, project director at CAELUS and head of aerodrome strategy at Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton Airports group, said the project is set to revolutionise the way in which healthcare services are delivered in Scotland. A drones network can ensure critical medical supplies can be delivered more efficiently; it can reduce waiting times for test results and, more importantly, it can provide equity of care between urban and remote rural communities.