Pilot X-Ray car service launches across Plymouth

The X-Ray car team will attend frail and vulnerable patients who have had a fall and may have suffered a fracture

A new X-Ray car service has been launched in Plymouth in a bid to reduce demand on the emergency department, Derriford Hospital said.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) said the pilot project, which aims to reduce "unnecessary patient admissions", launched on Wednesday.

The car will transport staff and the X-Ray kit to patients across Plymouth and the surrounding areas, it said.

It said the remote results would be sent to the hospital clinical team who will advise on what action needs to be taken, for example a hospital visit.

The X-Ray car team will attend frail and vulnerable patients who have had a fall and may have a fracture, it said.

Anne Hicks, associate medical director for integrated care pathways, said: “We’re really excited to get this service underway and know that it is the best thing for our patients who fall in the community.

"Having had a fall or injured yourself at home, and to then access the appropriate help, and get the diagnosis and the treatment plan in the comfort of your own home or community place of care – that’s what this service is all about.”

Avoiding admission

Ms Hicks said the service would aim to help about three to five patients per day.

"We do not have anything like this at the moment, so for patients, it means that they can avoid the additional processes they experience when admitted into hospital, and when they leave," she said.

In 2023, about 2000 patients over the age of 55 attended the emergency department and were found not to have suffered a fracture, UHP said.

It said nearly 1,300 of those patients came by ambulance with 1,000 further admitted into the hospital.

The X-Ray car service aims to reduce these numbers and enable capacity for other patients at Derriford Hospital, it added.