Baby scan service rated inadequate by inspectors

A Leeds business providing private ultrasound scans to pregnant women has been ordered to make immediate improvements to protect people following an inspection by the care watchdog.

Precious Glimpse, in Roundhay, was rated Inadequate, down from Requires Improvement after a 2020 inspection, by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following their most recent visit in May.

The business, which had been performing about 40 scans per week, has now been served with a warning notice which requires it to make "significant improvement" to the quality of healthcare provided.

In response, Precious Glimpse Roundhay said "all aspects raised have been addressed".

The owner of the business, Kathryn Rennison, added: "The CQC has had no contact with me for seven years, therefore no support or advice has been offered for all this time."

The business was given the lowest possible score in four of six areas of assessment - overall, safe, effective and well-led.

It was told it requires improvement in the assessment areas of caring and responsive.

Shortcomings identified included a failure to keep equipment clean and well-maintained, which inspectors said could put people at risk of harm.

The registered manager, who carried out the scans, had not keep up to date with mandatory training or undertaken refresher competency training to ensure people were kept safe.

Additionally, inspectors said the service "did not ensure people understood all the risks associated with their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent".

They found the service did not ask people for dates of their NHS scans and there was no process in place for monitoring people who were having frequent scans.

"This meant there was a risk unborn babies may be exposed to very frequent ultrasound scans," they concluded.

The CQC said current national guidelines do not recommend souvenir scans because risks to health of developing babies are currently unknown and research is ongoing.

The care watchdog did observe that women they spoke to who had used the service recently were "very positive about their experience".

Precious Glimpse Roundhay had been part of the Precious Glimpse Ltd franchise, but a spokesperson for the latter said they were no longer affiliated.

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