High Street Chemist, Boots, is to begin a trial to use drones to quickly deliver medicines to the Isle of Wight, it’s been confirmed.
The pharmacy chain, which has stores in Newport, Ryde, Shanklin, Bembridge, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor and Cowes, is set to use unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver medicines across the Solent to the Isle of Wight in a quick and efficient way.
The UAVs – or drones – are electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), allowing them to take off from both helipads and airfields.
The new trial follows the announcement of a trial by the Isle of Wight NHS Trust to use drones to deliver vital chemotherapy drugs. The 3-month trial to optimise the access to chemotherapy for cancer patients includes assessments on the impact of factors such as vibration and temperature on the drugs.
Details on Boots’ own scheme is currently vague, but Island Echo has been told by a Boots spokesperson that the trial is set to begin in the next few weeks.
Or we could use a van if we had reliable connection with the mainland. Either ferry companies that wanted to supply a service or a fixed rail / road link. That they think this is their best solution shows how bad things have got. Yet our MP does nothing.
fred – how do you think the entire islands supply of medicines, drugs, chemists stocks, prescriptions, first aid supplies, hospital equipment and all other healthcare related items arrive on the island – by van or by the freight services of the Hovercraft/ferries.
the idea of drones is a token gesture, that won’t operate in bad weather either and will not be as cost effective as the current process, unless drones start doing some serious heavy lifting.
Please don’t forget the hard working Boots in Freshwater !
Not much point delivering to Cowes – no-one can get a prescription.
If only there was some sort of system in place to transport goods to and from the island…
Seriously though, unless the drugs they are transporting are incredibly time sensitive it seems odd that they would go to this much trouble rather than just use the existing freight services (like they do for everything else). Even then it would only be a fair weather solution.