NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is seeing the launch of a new community diagnostic vehicle, in a move designed to reduce the number of hospital admissions in the area. The car will carry state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including portable X-ray, and – for the first time in the UK – equipment to conduct blood tests, urine tests and ultrasounds. “The patient will only be taken into hospital if they have a fracture or another condition that needs hospital care. This cut the number of patients being cared for in corridors and saved £1,008 for each patient not admitted to hospital. It said this could help tackle the chronic shortage of radiographers in Scotland, where vacancies in the field currently stand at 13.4% – and so help further reduce NHS waiting times for patients.

Source: The Times January 08, 2026 12:07 UTC