The new x-ray machine at South Hams Hospital was officially unveiled by Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston last week.

The £300,000 state-of-the-art x-ray unit was funded by South Hams Hospital League of Friends and Livewell South West - the social enterprise which runs the hospital, with each party contributing £150,000.

The new machine replaces an outdated unit which was beyond repair and had been out of action since January 2016. The old machine was more than 20 years old, and replacement parts aren’t made anymore.

At the ceremony, county and district Cllr Rufus Gilbert said: “I remember when the first x-ray machine was installed. Before that, Mr Prosser, the vet used to do all the x-rays in Kingsbridge.”

The unit uses the latest imaging technology and is quicker, enabling more patients to be seen and reducing the need for patients to travel to Derriford Hospital for routine appointments.

On average 400 patients a month now attend South Hams Hospital for x-rays, an increase of 25 per cent since it went into service in June. The service is available to people attending the minor injuries unit, primary care referrals, outpatient referrals and inpatients at the hospital in Kingsbridge.

Sonia Boulden, senior radiographer at South Hams Hospital, said: “The new unit makes the whole experience much better for patients. It is a quicker process, the dose of radiation is smaller, and the machine has a lot more manoeuvrability which is important when you are dealing with less mobile patients who have hip issues, for instance. If they can’t move, the machine can. I can even x-ray people standing up.”

“We generally see patients the day they are referred, or the following day,” said Sonia. “We don’t have lengthy waiting times, and for many people it’s much quicker and simpler to come here than get to an acute hospital. We’re hoping lots more people will choose to come here and benefit from the service we offer now.”

Steve Waite, chief executive of Livewell South West said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement. We’re hugely grateful to the League of Friends who all support this site in a variety of ways. This machine puts the needs of users first. There will be many people who will benefit, avoiding the lanes travelling into Plymouth.

“We’d like to say a huge thanks on behalf of the board of Livewell South West. The League of Friends have been very successful in raising funds from such a generous community.”

Chairman of South Hams Hospital League of Friends, Colin Pincombe said: “This is part of a programme of funding from the League of Friends that adds up to £2m over the past twenty years. We hope there will be future ventures and investments.

“The key message is this is about the generosity of the local population. The South Hams is a strong community in terms of financial contributions and volunteer support. The South Hams is a special place and the hospital is in the hearts and minds of the local population.”

Totnes Member of Parliament Sarah Wollaston said: “I think this is a remarkable achievement. Lots of people worked very hard together to achieve this.

The future of community hospitals is they need to do more, not less.

“If you see the support of the League of Friends, it shows how much the hospital means to local people. It’s fantastic to see the community, local practices and the League of Friends working together.”