12/10/2026
The use of drones in healthcare is growing rapidly. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) projects that by 2030 there could be more than 76,000 drones operating in UK airspace. For ambulance services, drones offer significant opportunities, from surveying hazardous incidents and supporting search and rescue operations to improving medical logistics and contributing to NHS net zero objectives.
The Welsh Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), for example, uses drones to provide live aerial footage of challenging incidents, helping frontline responders identify risks and enabling clinicians in control rooms to monitor situations remotely.
Yet whilst drones are increasingly supporting emergency care, they are also creating challenges for ambulance providers and air ambulance operators. Increasingly, ambulance services are reporting incidents where members of the public use drones near emergency scenes, sometimes disrupting life-saving operations, delaying helicopter landings, compromising patient privacy, and potentially committing criminal offences.
For Ambulance Trusts, understanding the legal framework is becoming increasingly important, particularly where drone activity interferes with operational responses.
When drones become a problem
Air ambulance providers across the UK have repeatedly highlighted the dangers posed by irresponsible drone use. Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, North West Air Ambulance and Yorkshire Air Ambulance have all issued public warnings about drones being flown close to helicopters or incident scenes.
Even where operators claim they are simply recording an incident, the consequences can be significant:
Air ambulances may be forced to delay landing or take alternative routes
Emergency responders may become distracted during critical interventions
Patients and families may be filmed during highly distressing moments
Sensitive operational activity may be captured and shared online
In some cases, these actions amount not simply to poor judgment but to criminal offences.
What powers do the police have?
Part 3 of the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021 significantly expanded police powers in relation to drones.
Where officers reasonably suspect that a drone-related offence has occurred, they may:
Require a drone to land
Demand evidence of registration and operator details
Stop and search individuals or vehicles
Seize drones and related equipment
For Ambulance Trusts, this means that where drone activity is affecting an emergency response, prompt engagement with police colleagues may enable immediate action to be taken.
Is it an offence to fly near an emergency scene?
The Unmanned Aircraft (Offences and Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2025 came into force on 1 January 2026 and created the principal criminal offences for breaches of the UK drone regulatory regime. They largely replace the former offences contained in Articles 265A, 265B and 265C of the Air Navigation Order 2016, which were repealed. Article 265B offences remain relevant for offences that occurred before that date. Offences may be committed if a drone is flown too close to emergency response activities and can result in a financial penalty being imposed by the Courts.
There is no prescribed minimum distance. Whether a drone is unlawfully "close to" an emergency response will depend on the circumstances, including:
Whether emergency responders were distracted.
Whether helicopter operations were affected.
Whether emergency services altered their response because of the drone.
Whether the operator should reasonably have realised an emergency response was taking place.
For large incidents, police may establish an Emergency Restriction of Flying (ERF), creating a temporary restricted airspace area with clearly defined boundaries.
When does drone activity become a serious criminal matter?
The consequences become considerably more severe where aircraft or individuals are endangered.
Under Article 240 of the Air Navigation Order 2016, recklessly or negligently acting in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft (or any person in an aircraft) can result in:
Up to five years' imprisonment
An unlimited fine
Or both
A drone that causes or permits danger to persons or property may also give rise to offences under Article 241, carrying penalties of up to two years' imprisonment and/or a fine.
Given the increasing number of reports involving drones and air ambulances, operators should not assume that enforcement action will be limited to minor regulatory breaches.
Evidence gathering
Wherever possible crew personnel should be encouraged to:
Identify the operator
Record details of the drone (including times observed, description of aircraft, estimated altitude)
Preserve evidence, including photographs and video
Escalate immediately through control and the police
Document operational/patient impact
Can drone footage be removed?
This is often the question Ambulance Trusts ask after discovering footage of an incident has been uploaded to social media.
The answer is: potentially, but it depends on the circumstances.
Data protection
Where patients, staff or vehicle registration details can be identified, the footage may constitute personal data under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Although individuals recording purely for personal use may benefit from the domestic purpose’s exemption, this protection may fall away where footage is widely shared online, monetised or used for journalistic-style content.
Trusts should therefore consider whether:
Personal data has been processed unlawfully
Data subjects can be identified
Complaints should be raised with the platform concerned
Individuals may have grounds to pursue their own privacy claims
Misuse of private information
Patients receiving emergency treatment may have a reasonable expectation of privacy, particularly where they are unconscious, injured or receiving care in circumstances that would ordinarily be considered private.
Publishing drone footage of such individuals could potentially expose operators to claims for misuse of private information.
Harassment and other offences
In some circumstances, persistent filming of staff or repeated drone deployments may also engage provisions relating to harassment or public order offences.
Each case will be fact specific, but Ambulance Trusts should not assume that publication of incident footage is legally protected simply because it was captured in a public place.
Practical steps for ambulance trusts
Ambulance services faced with problematic drone activity should consider:
Developing a clear operational procedure for reporting drone incidents
Ensuring crews understand when police support should be requested
Recording evidence of operational disruption caused by drones
Retaining details of delayed landings, altered helicopter routes or interrupted treatment
Reviewing whether footage captures identifiable patients, staff, or vehicles
Considering data protection, privacy, or reputational responses where footage is subsequently published online
Working with local police and air ambulance partners to raise awareness of safe drone operation
If drone activity is creating foreseeable risks to their staff, Trusts may need to consider whether current arrangements adequately address that risk under their employer duties pursuant to health and safety legislation. Trusts should therefore consider drone-related disruption as part of their wider health and safety risk management arrangements. The presence of drones at incident scenes may present risks to both staff and patients, particularly where helicopter operations are affected or responders are distracted during critical interventions.
Looking ahead
Drones are undoubtedly here to stay, and, in many settings, they will become an increasingly valuable part of emergency healthcare delivery. However, the same technology can create significant operational, regulatory, and reputational risks when used irresponsibly.
For Ambulance Trusts, understanding both the criminal law and the privacy implications of drone use is becoming essential. As drone numbers increase, organisations will need clear policies and effective relationships with police and aviation partners to ensure that innovation in the skies does not come at the expense of patient safety on the ground.
To stay informed on further developments affecting the NHS, such as The Thirlwall Inquiry: What NHS Boards, Leaders and Healthcare Organisations Must Do Next, follow our dedicated NHS Health & Care page.
