A groundbreaking vehicle which is taking radiography into the community while helping to reduce hospital admissions has ‘huge potential for national rollout which must be tapped into’

That’s the view of a Scottish healthcare innovation specialist which continues to encourage Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) like radiographers to collaboratively develop their fresh ideas for better patient outcomes.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) previously piloted the mobile diagnostic service, helping patients to receive vital medical tests in their own homes, in turn improving accessibility and reducing inequalities.

While the service could previously only offer X-rays, the Health Board says it successfully demonstrated that taking tests to people’s doors had led to earlier interventions, reduced A&E visits, and fewer hospital admissions.

The Health Board is now launching a two-year project with its new enhanced community diagnostic vehicle offering not only state-of-the-art portable X-ray kit but also — and for the first time in the UK — equipment to carry out ultrasound examinations, as well as blood and urine tests.

These will be conducted by radiographers, working alongside wider clinical teams, with patients only being taken into hospital if they have a fracture or another condition which requires more focused care.

InnoScot Health’s Head of Innovation, Robert Rea said: “Data from the pilot showed that it successfully reduced patient waiting times by four hours on average while freeing up an equivalent of 9.3 hospital bed days per person from patients not being admitted, saving over £1,000 per patient.

“That positive performance has since encouraged further innovative thinking, and as NHSGGC embarks on a new iteration allowing doorstep ultrasounds and more, it is an exciting development with huge potential for national rollout which must be tapped into.

“Everything else can be delivered swiftly to the door in 2026 — why not ultrasounds and X-rays? With healthcare becoming increasingly community-centred and informed by patient demand, it’s a natural step, but one that’s also underpinned by innovative AHP thinking.

“More of that inspiration must be supported and delivered for numerous benefits — from lowering patient travel to hospitals and therefore emissions as NHS Scotland targets a net zero health service by 2040, to helping tackle frailty-related health issues amid an ageing population.

Consultant radiographer Val Middleton, who has been involved in setting up the NHSGGC project, noted that “if you’re a frail or elderly person who’s fallen and is in pain, you'd want to stay in your own home”.

Robert added: “It’s thought that the project could go further and help to address a significant shortage of diagnostic radiographers, with the current vacancy rate sitting at 13.4 per cent.

“We are in no doubt that AHPs can be powerful drivers of change, and this project proves it.”

InnoScot Health actively encourages Scotland’s AHPs to submit innovative ideas for improving frailty care. A dedicated frailty innovation call provides support for developing such ideas into real-world solutions.

In 2024, the organisation launched a fresh innovation push with the aim of inspiring nurses, midwives, and AHPs to come forward.