Surrey's ambulance crews X-rayed fall patients at home — 25 of 38 skipped hospital

An ambulance service pilot in Surrey offered emergency X-ray scans in patients' own homes — and kept dozens of people out of hospital. The Emergency Community X-ray Service, run by South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) with Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals, is based at an ambulance station in Chertsey; after an initial four-month trial in 2025, a second trial runs until May, expanding from two to five days a week.

The arrangement is simple: a paramedic and a radiographer monitor 999 calls and attend suitable incidents, typically falls. The X-ray equipment fits in one backpack and one carry case, and the scans are reviewed by a radiographer at St Peter's Hospital in the town. Of the 38 patients seen in the project, 25 were found not to require hospital treatment and could remain at home.

Consultant radiographer and co-creator Andrew Moth called it 'a revolutionary service'. Secamb's James Fern, who co-founded the scheme, said treatment in the community 'helps reduce patient anxiety and avoids the risks associated with hospital admission, whilst receiving the same care' — with 'very good' image quality and patients 'happy to have the X-ray at home'. The service says the model could deliver cost savings if rolled out to other stations and hospitals in Surrey.

Fall patients — often elderly and fragile — bear the risks of hospital admission itself, so avoiding transport is a clinical win, not just a convenience.

Pairing a paramedic with a radiographer puts both emergency access and imaging competence in one response.

Remote review by hospital radiographers keeps specialist judgment in the loop while the kit stays backpack-portable.

Two-thirds of scanned patients avoiding hospital shows the filter works: the crew can tell who needs to travel only after imaging.

Send the diagnostics to the patient instead of the patient to the diagnostics: imaging at the point of the emergency call can retire most of the hospital trips.

The second trial runs until May 2026 with five-day-a-week coverage, up from two; Secamb says the initiative could provide cost savings if rolled out to other stations and hospitals across Surrey.