My Baby Scan Burscough is operated by JAM SCANNING LTD. The service provides self-referral, privately funded ultrasound scans including 2D, 3D, 4D, reassurance, gender and growth and non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). The non-invasive prenatal test is a blood test that uses DNA technology to evaluate if there is a high risk of chromosomal conditions for Down syndrome, Patus and Edwards syndrome. All scans are abdominal. The service does not provide diagnostic scans. The service had a reception/waiting area, scanning room, a kitchen and storage room.

The service provides baby keepsake scans to women. It employed one full time, one part-time sonographer and a receptionist at the location.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out a short-announced inspection on 7 March 2019. We gave staff two working days’ notice that we were coming to inspect to ensure the availability of the registered manager and clinics.

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

We rated it as Good overall because:

• Staff completed mandatory training appropriate for their roles. Staff were knowledgeable and patient-centred in the delivery of the service.

• The service had suitable premises and equipment and looked after them well. The scanning machine was serviced and maintained as per manufacturing guidelines.

• The service provided compassionate care, emotional support and involved patients and those close to them in decisions about their care. Staff knew how to escalate concerns about women and sign posted them appropriately.

• Records were clear, completed and stored securely.

• The service had policies in place which referenced to good practice and national guidelines.

However;

• The service had a process to identify and record risks, but further actions had not been identified or reviewed.

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 Armistead

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals