Growth in the use of portable diagnostics technology across Scotland for immediate testing represents ‘meaningful action and significant support for rural and remote populations’, says one of the country’s leading healthcare innovation bodies

InnoScot Health believes that enhanced NHS Scotland capability to perform everything from handheld blood tests to remote X-rays and ultrasounds is a major step forward in providing point-of-care testing that is safe, fast, and convenient, often in people’s own homes.

The innovation specialist says that portable diagnostics also allow rapid decision-making while reducing unnecessary hospital transfers with initiatives across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lanarkshire, and NHS Orkney and Shetland already delivering results or showing huge promise.

The latter two health boards have just launched a 21-month pilot called Project SOUND which will see point-of-care testing technology introduced to islanders.

This, NHS Orkney and Shetland say, will allow paramedics to carry out a range of rapid tests that would traditionally require hospital admission, supporting “the assessment of a range of common and serious health conditions closer to the patient”.

They note that currently, up to 77% of ambulance callouts in the islands result in a hospital transfer, including 86% of patients with chest pain and 77% of those with breathing difficulties.

The two boards believe that the faster access to test results enabled by Project SOUND — backed by funding from the Scottish Government through the National Islands Plan 2026 — means that many of these patients could be safely treated and monitored at home instead.

Head of Business Development at InnoScot Health, Frances Ramsay said: “The benefits of this shift to portable diagnostics are clear with on-the-spot test results letting clinicians start care immediately in the appropriate healthcare setting or safely monitor patients at home where they are most comfortable.

“For patients too it also means reassurance that they can receive a rapid diagnosis of their condition, as well as potentially avoiding instances of stressful travel from remote or island communities to hospitals elsewhere.

“NHS Orkney and Shetland are now taking a decisive step towards providing better care and offering a pioneering example to others, with leading innovation helping to bridge the gap between island and mainland services.

“If successful, the pilot will provide another compelling reason for national rollout, in turn improving accessibility and reducing inequalities across Scotland.

“There is also so much potential to expand the technology available to NHS Scotland — from handheld cardiovascular monitors and pulse oximeters to compact instruments that process swab samples to deliver rapid lab-quality results.”

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde announced earlier this year that it had introduced mobile diagnostic cars, carrying portable X-rays, ultrasounds, and blood/urine testing equipment to treat patients directly in the community.

Following a pilot, the health board said it had successfully demonstrated that taking tests to people’s doors had led to earlier interventions, reduced A&E visits, and fewer hospital admissions.

NHS Lanarkshire also recently introduced a mobile X-ray service which is now available across all care homes in the region, bringing diagnostics directly to residents and supporting earlier, more appropriate clinical decisions instead of a default hospital visit.

The health board says it is designed “for residents who are clinically stable, where there is no immediate need for emergency intervention and where it is safe and appropriate for assessment to take place within the care home setting”.

Frances added: “On a Scotland-wide scale, portable diagnostics represents meaningful point-of-care action and significant support for rural and remote populations, with geography, weather, and transport having much less impact on patient access.

“It is a positive time for acceleration across the country with notable successes now reported and Orkney and Shetland seeing the merit in this fresh capability in improving patient experience while reducing pressure on urgent and emergency care services.”