AN NHS trust envisions hospitals of the future using drones to carry samples, test kits and equipment between sites to reduce its carbon footprint.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSE) produces more than 120 kilo-tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2e) emissions ever year – 49 per cent of which are related to pharmaceuticals.

The trust, which runs Basildon and Southend hospitals, is looking into innovative new technologies to reduce that number to net zero by 2040.

Plans to revolutionise the trust’s services and reduce the millions of journeys patients and staff make to and from its hospitals include: increased virtual appointments and health apps; mobile patient care and caravan units; and the use of drones.

In October of 2020 the trust took part in a £1.3 million space agency trial, with a drone being used to carry Covid-19 samples and equipment between Broomfield Hospital, Basildon Hospital and the Pathology First Laboratory in Basildon.

The trialled drones drones can carry a maximum weight of 2kg and fly about 60 miles. They fly at 300ft above ground level and are designed to withstand harsh weather.

Widespread use of the technology is among one of the plans to drive down emissions and costs.

The trust’s total spend on care in 2019/20 was £147 million, with £10 million spent on heating and lighting and £1.17 million on water and sewage.

A total of £285,000 is spent annually on asthma inhalers a year which is equivalent to 21,000 prescriptions.

MSE spends £2 million a year on travel, producing 3 kilo-tonnes of associated emissions, with, based on a 2019 survey, 74 per cent of staff travelling to work by car.

In a single year the trust gets through 2.4 million single use knives, forks, spoons, plates and cups and creates 4,300 tonnes of waste, costing £1.1 million to dispose of.

Clare Panniker, MSE chief executive, said: "We have ambitions to make the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust one of the leading green group of hospitals in the country providing excellent healthcare sustainably.

“At the Trust we pride ourselves on our passion for innovation and our ability to leverage the latest research and technology, spearheading sustainability within the NHS, responding to the health emergency that climate change brings while providing biodiversity and green space net gains to promote recovery, health and well-being of our patients.

"These initiatives reduce our carbon footprint and enable us to deliver a significant reduction in carbon usage. This plan commits us to achieve the delivery of a net zero health service."

Without intervention, the trust estimates its emissions would likely increase from 29 to 34 kilo-tonnes by 2025/2026, costing an extra £2 million a year.