4Dbabyface

Updated 13 July 2021

4Dbabyface is a small independent private clinic based in Newport, Shropshire which is owned and operated by Perry & Williamson Limited. The service is inspected under the diagnostic imaging core service, but they undertake baby keepsake or souvenir scans as the sole activity which are not diagnostic.

There is a registered manager in place, and they are registered to provide the following registered activity;

• Diagnostic and screening procedures.

Their Statement of Purpose identifies the population groups they service as older adults, younger adults over 18 years.

The ultrasound service is provided to pregnant women who are concerned with their pregnancies and wish to have reassurance about their developing baby and to have a keepsake souvenir of the scan. Although the service is non-diagnostic, where a concern is identified by the sonographer, a referral is made to the local early pregnancy unit.

The Sonographers are practicing Midwives, qualified in ultrasound to NHS standards and work within the NHS.

The service has been inspected previously on 29 June 2013 and 16 April 2019. We rated the services as requires improvement overall in 2019 because we found breaches of regulation 12 (safe care and treatment) and regulation 17 (good governance)

• There was no safeguarding Level 3 trained staff member in the service.
• The service did not have a system for monitoring mandatory training.
• The service did not have the appropriate policies in place.

We asked the service to make improvements. At this inspection we found improvements had been made in all the areas we had identified in our April 2019 report.

• All sonographers and the registered manager were trained in safeguarding to level 3 and staff could identify the named safeguarding lead.
• There was a system for recording and monitoring mandatory training.
• The service had implemented additional policies and updated existing ones. These were easily accessible to staff.

What people who use the service say

We spoke with one patient and one relative at our visit. Both were extremely happy with the service they received and described the service as professional and welcoming. They told us staff were friendly and respectful, gave a good explanation of what to expect, and provided them with all the information they required.

Feedback provided through Google and Facebook was overwhelmingly positive about the service.

Updated 13 July 2021

Our rating of this location improved. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for women and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect women from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to women, acted on them and kept good records. The service knew how to manage safety incidents. The service put safety of women before profit.
• Staff provided good care and treatment. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of women, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Staff were fully committed to working in partnership with people and making the experience special for each person. Women really felt cared for and that they and their baby mattered.
• People were respected and valued as individuals and are empowered as partners in their care. There was a strong person-centred culture and staff were highly motivated and inspired to offer care that is kind and promotes dignity. Staff treated women with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to women and families.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of women’s individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. Feedback from people who use the services was consistently positive about the way staff treat women. People could access the service when they needed it and were provided with a report and images to take home with them.
• Staff demonstrated shared values in their work. The service shared a philosophy of care statement with women which was made visible in the waiting area.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of women receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with women to plan their care and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• Although managers and staff were aware of the vision for the service, there was no written strategy for the service, outlining plans for the next year or longer.
• The service used refillable bottles for dispensing ultrasound scan gel but did not have a protocol to ensure best practice. The service used appropriate methods and products to clean probes but did not have a protocol to outline the correct procedure. The service amended their infection control policy immediately after our inspection. This now outlines in full, the correct process for decontamination of probes and guidelines to prevent gel standing for long periods.
• Although staff understood the role of chaperone, there was no chaperone policy or protocol to guide staff in this role. The service implemented a chaperone policy immediately after our inspection.
• The service did not have a performance management policy to support staff who were underperforming. The service implemented a performance policy immediately after our inspection.
• Although the service asked all women if they were over 18 years when booking an appointment, their ID was not formally checked.

Updated 13 July 2021

Our rating of this location improved. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for women and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect women from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to women, acted on them and kept good records. The service knew how to manage safety incidents. The service put safety of women before profit.
• Staff provided good care and treatment. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of women, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Staff were fully committed to working in partnership with people and making the experience special for each person. Women really felt cared for and that they and their baby mattered.
• People were respected and valued as individuals and are empowered as partners in their care. There was a strong person-centred culture and staff were highly motivated and inspired to offer care that is kind and promotes dignity. Staff treated women with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to women and families.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of women’s individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. Feedback from people who use the services was consistently positive about the way staff treat women. People could access the service when they needed it and were provided with a report and images to take home with them.
• Staff demonstrated shared values in their work. The service shared a philosophy of care statement with women which was made visible in the waiting area.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of women receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with women to plan their care and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

However:

• Although managers and staff were aware of the vision for the service, there was no written strategy for the service, outlining plans for the next year or longer.
• The service used refillable bottles for dispensing ultrasound scan gel but did not have a protocol to ensure best practice. The service used appropriate methods and products to clean probes but did not have a protocol to outline the correct procedure. The service amended their infection control policy immediately after our inspection. This now outlines in full, the correct process for decontamination of probes and guidelines to prevent gel standing for long periods.
• Although staff understood the role of chaperone, there was no chaperone policy or protocol to guide staff in this role. The service implemented a chaperone policy immediately after our inspection.
• The service did not have a performance management policy to support staff who were underperforming. The service implemented a performance policy immediately after our inspection.