State Hospital

Just wondering if anyone knows if i can fly a drone around a State hospital. I have checked all maps that show me restrictions and cannot find one over the specific hospital i would like to drone. Also since it is not a prison that should not come into play. Even under the new law regarding prison and drones that will be coming into law. I do not want to say what hospital it is just incase

Is a state hospital a psychiatric hospital ?

I think they might have concerns over patient privacy, should a patient be identifiable through a window. I used to work for the NHS and I offered to fly my drone around my wards garden ( yes we had a lovely outdoors space). I was refused permission due to privacy issues, ( even though I said no patients/ visitors would be visible on any footage taken )

Surely Dronescene is your friend here :thinking:

2 Likes

yes psychiatric hospital

Hi i looked at dronescene / no fly drones / dronecast / dji flysafe and nothing shows, i understand about privacy, but at 100m in the sky and just going around the around the hospital and not over, i doubt i would catch any people, also if i did i could blur out the people. I could asked the NHS but sometimes if you ask they say no, which might be different to what the law say abit like flying over historic england and scotland regarding there policy

Morning

As steviegeek says drone scene is yr friend here,
I myself a few months ago flew the broad moor psychiatric hospital in Berkshire ( it is on drone scene ), I was quite surprised there was no restrictions or geo fencing,
However, when planning my intentions ( but I myself had no intention of flying over anyway ) just flying around the hospital, out of courtesy I rang the hospital just to let them know, I said if you hear a drone buzzing nearby, not to be alarmed, I said I am a drone hobbyist / Ariel photography, not commercial or paid just for myself, they were totally fine & asked me kindly if I did not mind respecting their privacy by Not flying or hovering directly over the hospital to which I said no problem & did not,
I didn’t really have to disclose my intentions but as it being what I think is quite a sensitive place & area to be in I did, once again out of courtesy.
So if there’s no restrictions I’d say your good to go & is subjective as to weather you tell them about your flight, if you don’t need to tell them I wouldn’t bother I’d just go & fly & in all honesty, more so of a reason I rang them is because I’m a bit if a worrier too that’s all,
Good luck mate :+1:t2:

Follow the drone code and you will be fine

2 Likes

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Legal/privacy issues aside… you’re talking about flying your drone around a building which is, by its nature, home to some very vulnerable patients. The sudden appearance of a drone buzzing about outside the building might not be the best thing for their treatment.

This would be one of those situations where, in your shoes, I’d be asking myself just how important that shot is to me.

:point_up:
This

I understand what you are saying, i know the hospital and there is nothing else around it, and to be honest if i am flying at the max altitude, and when you are flying around the border of a building or complex, you are never right above it, you are always at a distance, and my interest in this subject is very strong, and with the bars on the windows, i doubt they will notice. I will seek there guidance first, and unless they advise me of a legal issue why i cant i doubt i will change. I wish to thank everyone for there input. Of course if i do decide to go ahead, and i can see anyone on the grounds, i will stop recording, but it is very rare to see patients moving around in the open grounds.

Dare I add my 1 pennies worth? From the perspective of the hospital, commercial and private flights are the same.

Therefore best practice would be to call and, don’t ask, simply inform them.

If someone is flying a drone around your home you might appreciate it if you were informed first.

I know it’s a hassle but it’s a phone call or an email and you’d be doing something positive for the cause :slight_smile:

Forgive me if this comes across as a lecture😇.

1 Like

@paulburgh As noted above there are no FRZs specifically for hostpitals, although they maybe within a FRZ area close to an Airport for example.

You are responsible for a risk assessment prior to flight so if you deem the drone may cause discomfort to patients then don’t fly. If the flight is at a significant distance away and therefore unlikely to cause offence then go for it.

Just be mindful that some hospitals have emergency wards and accept urgent cases via a helicopter.

Our local, mental ward, closed some years ago but was not far from the flight path of the many helicopters coming to refuel at the miltary base. Never had any complaints from them then. They’re all scattered throughout the community now so on many flightpaths. :face_with_spiral_eyes: