A PATIENT is pushing for a replacement X-ray machine at Tavistock Hospital after breaking her wrist in a fall while walking her dog.

Donna Baker, 84, a novelist who lives in the town, was forced to travel to Launceston Hospital for a diagnostic X-ray because the machine in Tavistock has been deemed irreparable and a new one can only be installed if the floor is strengthened to take its weight.

There is no date yet for a replacement and patients have to travel to either Derriford or Launceston hospital X-rays.

Donna led a campaign for a scanner elsewhere after her teenage son died without diagnosis.

She said: “At first I thought my wrist was merely sprained, but a physiotherapist said I needed an X-ray before rehabilitation. I had to ask friends for help as I couldn’t drive and was dismayed to find the nearest X-ray was at Launceston where I was diagnosed with two broken bones.

“As an elderly person living alone, this compounded the stress of an already painful injury, which is creating considerable difficulty with everyday living.”

She said demand for the X-ray would increase as Tavistock expands and GP surgeries were “overwhelmed” by demand, pressurising other hospitals, adding to patients’ stress.

“We desperately need this facility. Can nothing be done to repair and maintain the building or provide other accommodation? Is it funding, or are other measures needed? Could we now rise to this challenge and help our own local hospital to restore this essential facility?”