Surrey Ultrasound Services is operated under Surrey Ultrasound Services Ltd. The service registered with the CQC in 2012. It was last inspected in 2013 under the previous CQC inspection methodology and met all five standards that it was measured against.

We rated this service as good overall. We rated safe, effective, caring and responsive a good  and well led as requires improvement.

Our key findings were as follows:

• Staff had undertaken mandatory training specific to their roles. At the time of our inspection it was not clear whether all staff had been trained to a sufficient level of safeguarding children training, however following the inspection, we saw evidence that there was one member of staff who was level 3 trained, and the remaining clinical staff had signed up to complete this training also.
• Practice was evidence based and complied with national guidelines such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
• Staff were competent to do their role, and had opportunities for additional learning.
• Patient outcomes were followed up and monitored.
• Staff provided care in a compassionate and caring manner.
• Services were planned in a way that met the needs of patients.

However:

• There was no infection control policy or auditing of infection control practice. Staff were not bare below the elbows when scanning, and no hand hygiene or cleaning audits had been undertaken.
• Where risks had been identified, they did not always have an action or timescale for the action to be completed by.
• At the time of our inspection there was no risk register for the service although the service lead was able to articulate what they felt the key risks to the service were. Following the inspection, we were sent a risk register that had been commenced.

Following the inspection, we told the provider that it should make improvements, even though a regulation had not been breached, to help the service improve.

Amanda Stanford

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals

We spoke to four people who had a scan during our visit. They all spoke positively of the care they had received and the professionalism of the Sonographer (the medical professional who operates the ulrasonic imaging equipment). One person told us "I have been before and the service is very good. You are always seen on time and they are very knowledgeable." Another told us "I was uncomfortable because I had to have a full bladder for my scan but the person who scanned me was very nice and sensitive to that." Everyone told us that they had not had to wait long for an appointment, found the community location convenient, had been seen in good time and found the scan quick and painless.

We found that there were clear scanning guidelines, followed in practice, and swift reporting and follow up procedures. The clinics were well organised and scans were performed and reported on by highly experienced sonography staff who worked collaboratively with colleagues inside and outside the service.

The provider had taken adequate steps to ensure people using the service were protected from the risk of abuse.

There were systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of the service provided.