Window to the Womb, an ultrasound clinic in Cramlington, Northumberland, has been rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following its first inspection carried out in March.
The service provides private ultrasound services to self-funding people who are over the age of 16 and more than six weeks pregnant.
At this inspection CQC found that leadership and staff had worked extremely hard to ensure people were receiving exemplary care.
As well as being rated outstanding overall, it was rated outstanding for being caring, responsive and well-led. It was rated good for being safe. Effective was not rated at this inspection.
Karen Knapton, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said:
“The care provided to people by Window to the Womb was outstanding. We found staff provided people with personalised care, going the extra mile to ensure their privacy and dignity was respected. They took time to interact with people in a respectful and considerate way. For example, the clinic introduced ‘bring back baby days’ encouraging people to revisit the clinic following pregnancy and receive face to face guidance and information from local groups, such as paediatric first aid baby and toddler groups. The introduction of these groups was well received and really valued by people using the service.
“Staff understood that women, families, and carers would need support during distressing times. They provided an environment to ensure that those who had previously experienced trauma were recognised and protected. For example, staff undertook training on breaking bad news and were empathetic when having difficult conversations. They recognised the shock of when a miscarriage or abnormality was detected and worked hard to address this by providing emotional support and referrals to specialist agencies as quickly as possible.
“We found this to be a well-led service that focused on people’s needs and the whole team deserve to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment. Other services can look to it as an example of the high standards of care people should expect.”
CQC inspectors found:
- There was a strong visible person-centred culture with staff delivering exceptional and personalised emotional care
- Staff recognised the emotional needs of partners and carers particularly during loss or the delivery of difficult news
- The service maintained links with a number of specialist pregnancy and miscarriage charities. The registered manager ensured these relationships were used appropriately to meet people’s needs and that they could be contacted in urgent situations
- The service was involved in the LGBTQ+ community and have rainbow coloured gender reveal balloons and bears in order to be more inclusive
- The provider ensured the service and facilities were bespoke to the needs of women, ensuring the premises were tailored to provide and exceptional experience
- The provider actively took steps to be at the forefront of technology to enable safer services for women requiring ultrasound scanning
- The service worked closely with local charities raising funds for local services in the area.