Ultra‑portable X‑ray in community care reduces hospital admissions by up to 86%

3 June 2026

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust piloted an ultra-portable X-ray service delivering hospital-quality diagnostic imaging directly to frail and high-risk patients in their homes, care homes and community settings.

The pilot demonstrates how diagnostics can be safely transferred from hospital into the community, improving patient experience while reducing pressure on urgent and emergency care services.

The challenge:

Cornwall is a rural and coastal county where patients often face long journeys and limited transport links. For elderly and frail patients, this can result in stressful and delayed hospital attendances that could potentially be avoided.

Each year, more than 1,000 patients in Cornwall experience a fall and are conveyed to emergency departments. A significant number are found not to have sustained a fracture, creating avoidable system pressure.

The average Emergency Department pathway cost for these patients was initially estimated at £1,068 per case. Following collaboration with our Care Pathway Team at NHS Supply Chain, this assumption has been reviewed and refined resulting in a revised average cost of £2,439 per patient, which has now been fully validated using a robustly evidenced economic model.

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Ongoing crowding, long waits and avoidable short stay admissions of two to three days add further strain and increase patient distress. Frail patients are also at increased risk of hospital-related harm, including deterioration, deconditioning and more complex discharge needs.

Aims of the pilot

Reduce A&E attendance

Free up emergency department capacity

Fewer patient transfers

Reducing avoidable patient conveyance by ambulance

Safer, more comfortable treatments

Fewer avoidable hospital admissions and lower patient distress

The solution: How ultra-portable X-ray enables community-based diagnostics

The pilot service used ultra-portable diagnostic technology to transfer imaging from hospital and bring it directly to patients in the community, moving care from hospital to home and aligning with the NHS Long Term Plan ambitions.

Right test:

Ultra-portable and lightweight X-ray device.
Easy to transport and deploy in community settings.
Wireless and battery-powered with no requirement for mains electricity.
High-resolution diagnostic imaging with low radiation dose.
Hospital quality X-ray delivered wherever the patient is located.

Right place:

Delivered outside acute hospital settings, reducing ambulance conveyance and releasing 999 capacity.
Delivered in homes of patients, avoiding A&E attendance and unnecessary conveyance.
Supports keeping people safe and well at home, providing reassurance and stability for frail and elderly patients.

Right time:

Operating Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm.
Average visit time of 42 minutes.
Rapid communication of fracture diagnosis, or reassurance where none is present.

Ambulance staff with ultra‑portable X‑ray equipment

An ambulance staff member attending to an elderly patient in a community setting with ultra-portable X-ray

Partnership working across the Cornwall system

The Cornwall pilot demonstrates what is possible when community diagnostics, digital innovation and prevention are embedded through strong partnership-wide working.

The Integrated Care Board (ICB) convened weekly cross-organisational meetings to co-design the service, resolve operational challenges and maintain a shared focus on patient benefit.

Key partners included:

Primary care with GP leadership supporting governance, referral pathways and protocols.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust and ICB programme and research managers supporting data collection and evaluation.
Kernow Health Community Interest Company providing operational support through use of an out-of-hours vehicle during service hours.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust imaging team comprising four radiographers and three clinical imaging assistants working in paired teams.
ICB and West Integrated Care Area providing joint funding of £64,000.
Referral sources including GPs, paramedics, district nursing, physiotherapy, care homes and virtual wards, with over 50% of referrals originating from primary care.

Ambulance staff are equipped with ultra‑portable X‑ray

Measurable impact of portable X-ray in community care

The value of the ultra-portable X-ray service extends beyond technology. It represents a fundamental step change in how diagnostics support patient flow, prevention and Value Based Healthcare (VBHC) – enabling faster access to imaging, reducing system pressure and delivering measurable improvements in care delivery.

Pilot activity – February 2024 to March 2025

702 community X-ray visits delivered
93 patients conveyed to hospital
609 conveyances prevented, representing 86.7% of cases
Mean patient age: 83

Most common age group: 86 to 90
Average Clinical Frailty Score of 6
Average job time of 42 minutes
Cost avoidance of £1,485,560 achieved over the pilot period.

Cost savings and efficiency gains from community diagnostics

System benefits

Reduced Emergency Department attendance and avoidable admissions
Lower ambulance conveyance, reducing handover delays
Release of capacity across urgent and emergency care
Savings that can be reinvested into frontline patient care.

Patient benefits

Earlier diagnosis and timely, targeted care delivered at home
Increased clinician confidence to safely manage frail patients in the community
Reduced physical and emotional stress associated with hospital visits
Support for maintaining independence where possible
Lower exposure to hospital-related harm
High levels of patient and clinician satisfaction.

Planned next steps

Invest to Save approaches to scale mobile X-ray adoption using quantitative and qualitative evidence
Exploration of a frailty virtual fracture clinic model
Integration with Community Diagnostic Centres
Expansion of mobile diagnostics to include technologies such as point of care testing and portable ultrasound.

Patient and carer feedback

Very grateful for this service. Made me feel at ease. Two very nice people to help me.

Excellent service which minimises anxiety for mum who has advanced dementia.

I am paraplegic and expected to go to hospital. I was surprised to get a mobile X-ray team. I hope you keep this service.

You made it really good. I prefer this to hospital.

Superb service. Much better for an elderly person than a long, stressful trip to A&E.

Better than winning the lottery.

Stopped a trip to Derriford which is distressing for all.

Join the future of diagnostics led care

This is a new VBHC opportunity delivering proven system savings through community diagnostics.

As the Care Pathway Team, we are supporting this workstream in line with Elective Recovery Targets, helping systems reduce pressure, improve flow and unlock capacity through smarter use of diagnostics.

See our Useful Links section to read more about an ultra-portable X-ray and contact our Care Pathway Team.

Contact our Care Pathway Team to explore adoption and develop local financial modelling for your trust or system – or submit an enquiry using the green button on the right-hand side.