Archived: Baby Ultrasound Clinic Huddersfield

Baby Ultrasound Clinic Huddersfield is operated by Baby Ultrasound Clinic Limited. The service is an independent healthcare provider offering antenatal ultrasound imaging and diagnostic services to self-funding or private patients over 16 years of age.

All ultrasound scans undertaken are transabdominal and include: an early pregnancy dating scan (from seven to 12 weeks of pregnancy), a 2D reassurance scan (from 13 to 34 weeks of pregnancy), and a 2D gender scan (from 16 weeks of pregnancy). The service also provides 4D gender scans (from 16 to 22 weeks of pregnancy), 3D and 4D bonding scans (from 20 to 34 weeks of pregnancy), and a 2D presentation scan (from 34 weeks of pregnancy).

We inspected the service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out a short-announced inspection on 22 February 2019. We had to conduct a short-announced inspection because the service was only open if patient demand required it.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the same five questions of all services: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led? Where we have a legal duty to do so we rate services’ performance against each key question as outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Throughout the inspection, we took account of what people told us and how the provider understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Services we rate

• This was the first time we have rated this service. We rated this service as Good overall.
• We found the following areas of good practice:
• There were enough staff with the appropriate skills, experience and training to meet people’s needs.
• Staff received adult and children safeguarding training specific to their role and knew the procedure to follow if they suspected an incident of abuse.
• There were processes and procedures in place to control infection. The equipment and the premises were clean.
• Patient records were stored securely.
• Staff were caring, kind and engaged well with women and their families.
• They treated concerns and complaints seriously, and learned lessons from feedback, which was shared with staff.
• People could access the service and appointments at a time that suited them.
• The service had a vision for what it wanted to achieve.
• The manager promoted a positive culture that supported and valued staff.

However, we also found the following issues that the service provider needs to improve:

• Policies and procedures were at different stages of review; and not all policies we reviewed onsite were relevant to the Huddersfield location.
• Although information in relation to the risks of ultrasound scanning was correctly provided on the scan consent form, the service internet page showed conflicting information.
• The sonographer did not have their work peer reviewed by colleagues. This was in not line with BMUS guidance, which recommends peer review audits are completed using the ultrasound image and written report.
• The service should formalise their audit programme to provide assurance of the quality and safety of the service.

Following this inspection, we told the provider that it should make improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve. Details are at the end of the report.

Ellen Armisted

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals (North)