Sheffield ultrasound clinic not giving expectant mothers safe care - CQC

The Care Quality Commission inspected the Baby Ultrasound Clinic in Sheffield in June

An ultrasound clinic has been told to make improvements after failing to ensure expectant mothers receive "safe and effective care".

Several areas of concern were raised at the privately-run Baby Ultrasound Clinic, in Sheffield, after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.

Inspectors raised concerns about staff documentation and the lack of a "robust process" for monitoring scan accuracy.

The company which runs the clinic has been contacted for a response.

Following the visit in June, the service was issued with a warning notice due to concerns found around governance.

According to a report, the clinic "did not ensure that staff had all the appropriate documentation for their role".

Sharing a further area of concern, it said "the service had not conducted any clinical audits to ensure the information women received was accurate and recording was correct".

Inspectors also noted the sonographers had "no thorough guidance to follow if unexpected results or abnormalities were identified" during a scan.

They referred to a complaint from a woman who claimed she had not been told about an abnormality seen on her scan and her care record showed no referral had been made.

The report added: "Staff told us this was because the abnormality was common and often harmless to women, and that they would only usually make referrals for abnormalities for the foetus."

The agency also found there was no "robust system" in place to respond in the event of a deterioration in a woman's health during their appointment.

Sarah Dronsfield, CQC head of hospital inspection, said: "Staff told us they would ring emergency services, however, there was no process to identify when staff should escalate any concerns."

She added: "We found several areas that needed improving to ensure expectant mothers receive safe and effective care when visiting the service for a scan."

Other concerns raised included specialist equipment not being frequently cleaned to prevent and control the spread of infections.

The report praised the clinic, which had not been inspected by the CQC before, for its systems protecting people from abuse, having approachable leaders and for having an "open culture" where staff could raise concerns without fear.

It highlighted that staff felt respected and supported and "were focused on providing women with a positive experience of baby scanning".