New service brings X-rays to patients' homes
BBCA new mobile service to X-ray patients at home has been launched.
University Hospital North Midlands (UHNM) hopes it will help provide faster care for patients in north Staffordshire, while also cutting down stress on the pinch points in the service.
Rob Gordon, head of imaging at the trust, said the idea was born from "a desire to try and keep patients out of hospital".
He hoped the resource would improve the experience for all, and especially those who struggled to travel.
"Sometimes, very vulnerable patients who are having to come in an ambulance can get that diagnosis right at the front end, which means treatment options can be identified without the patient having to be moved at all," he said.
The new service, dubbed X-Ray at Home, has already been rolled out.
Zoe Ruain is a radiographer and has been to patients' homes already.
She said: "This is completely different, going to somewhere the patient feels comfortable, they didn't have any level of distress".
The new kit was easy to use, she added, but felt "very different" when using it in an environment she wasn't used to.
"This is purely radiographer-based, you've got to ensure your angles and position are spot on".
She said some patients didn't believe she would be X-raying them in their homes: "I think just a change in everyone's thought of how we do things and the benefit to the patient is going to be massive".
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