Boo Baby Scan Bishop's Stortford

Updated 1 December 2022

Boo Baby Scan Bishop’s Stortford is owned by the provider Boo Health Limited.

The service provides a range of non-diagnostic pregnancy ultrasound scans. Scans include early pregnancy reassurance scans, dating and growth scans, gender determination scans, 3D/4D bonding scans, and late pregnancy reassurance scans. Scans are provided from 7 weeks gestation onwards. This is a self-referral service which is provided 6 days a week. The service is provided to those aged 18 and over.

The premises are located in the centre of the town of Bishop’s Stortford. The premises are made up of 3 rooms, which includes a reception area, an overflow waiting area or quiet room, and a scanning room. There is a disabled toilet with baby change facilities, kitchen and a storage room. All rooms are located within a ground floor, self-contained unit. The clinic has 1 adjustable scanning bed, along with the scanner. There is room for up to 5 adult guests and 2 children along with the woman being scanned.

Boo Baby Scan Bishop’s Stortford was registered in 2020 and had not been previously inspected. The service had previously been provided under a franchise agreement but this ended in January 2022.

At the time of our inspection, the clinic employed 1 registered manager, 1 sonographer, and 2 administrative assistants. The service did not employ any medical staff. The clinic did not store or administer any medicines or controlled drugs.

The service had a registered manager in post and was registered to carry out the following regulated activities:

• Diagnostic and screening procedures

Updated 1 December 2022

This was our first inspection for Boo Baby Scan Bishop’s Stortford. We rated it as requires improvement because:

• The service was not using a log to document the cleaning of transvaginal ultrasound probes. This was not in line with national guidance.
• Cleaning records did not clearly demonstrate that all areas were cleaned regularly. The format of cleaning records did not allow staff to record the dates that daily cleaning had taken place or to detail the areas that had been cleaned.
• Staff had not gone through a process of identifying the hazardous substances being used by the service, of evaluating the potential risks to health of each substance, and of identifying and implementing appropriate control measures for each substance. This was not in line with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations.
• Staff did not always document regular safety checks of specialist equipment. The ultrasound machine was overdue for servicing. There was no maintenance plan for electrical equipment. Staff did not carry out regular checks of first aid equipment to ensure that the contents were complete and within their expiry date.
• Staff did not always keep up-to-date with their mandatory training.
• Staff did not complete any training on recognising and responding to patients with learning disabilities or autism. This became a requirement in July 2022.
• There were inconsistencies in incident reporting and investigation processes and policies.
• The registered manager was not always able to demonstrate that they had appropriate knowledge of applicable legislation and regulations.
• There were inconsistencies in the effectiveness of governance, information management and the management of risk, issues and performance.
• Data or notifications were not consistently submitted to external organisations as required.

However:

• The service had enough staff to care for patients and keep them safe. Staff assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records.
• Staff worked well together for the benefit of patients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, and supported them to make decisions about their care.
• There was a strong, visible, person-centred culture. Staff were highly motivated and inspired to offer care that was kind and promoted people’s dignity. Relationships between people who used the service, those close to them and staff were strong, caring, respectful and supportive. These relationships were highly valued by staff and promoted by leaders.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it.
• Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. The service engaged with patients and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

Updated 1 December 2022

This is the first time we have rated this service. We rated it as requires improvement overall. We rated this service as requires improvement for safety and leadership. We rated caring as outstanding and responsive as good. We do not rate the effective domain in diagnostic and screening services. See the summary above for details.