Residents in nursing homes in Donegal can now avail of the free community-based mobile X-ray service.
First launched on a pilot basis in 2022 and available since Friday, March 1st, the new service is aimed at reducing the number of older patients attending emergency departments nationally.
Welcoming the initiative, Donegal minister, Charlie McConalogue said: “This is an extremely important development in health care that will make a real difference to many older people in Donegal.
“I’d like to thank the Minister of State for Older People, Mary Butler, and her department for their work on getting the service rolled out nationwide on a phased basis.
“Patients do not need a medical card to avail of the service that is now being provided in public community nursing units and private and voluntary nursing homes.”
Under the new service, referrals are assessed in conjunction with the nursing home and GP to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment.
“If a nursing home resident has a fall or requires a chest x-ray, the diagnostic team will arrive on-site, and an x-ray exam will take place in the resident’s own room. A report will then be shared with the referring doctor within four hours.
“This kind of community intervention ensures that the right care is provided for the patient in a quicker and more efficient manner. All types of X-rays, including chest, hip, pelvis, knee, wrist and shoulder, are included in the service,” the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine added.
In May 2023, the HSE engaged Mobile Medical Diagnostics to roll out this national service, which had been operating on a pilot basis since 2022. To date, over 1,000 GPs have made referrals to the service across more than 350 nursing homes and community nursing units.
