Archived: Window to the Womb

Window to the Womb is operated by DJC Studios Ltd. The service operates under a franchise agreement with Window to the Womb. The service is provided through a ground floor clinic with direct access from the high street. Facilities include one scan room, a reception and waiting area, and toilet. The scan room contains an ultrasound machine, medical couch, sofa, computer on wheels, sink and projector.

Window to the Womb offer a wide variety of gender scans, 3D and 4D ultrasound scans. They provide diagnostic obstetric ultrasound services for pregnant women (aged 16-65) from six weeks to full term. We had not previously inspected this location. This was the 25th clinic inspection for the franchise nationally.

We inspected this service using our comprehensive inspection methodology. We carried out the short notice announced part of our inspection on 3 March 2020.

To get to the heart of women’s 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 service understood and complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Services we rate

We had not previously rated the service. We rated it as Good overall.

• Leaders operated effective governance processes, throughout the service and with partner organisations. We reviewed 25 policies which were up to date and within review date. Franchise policies were adapted to provide effective guidelines for each clinic location.

• Leaders and staff actively and openly engaged with women, staff, the public and local organisations to plan and manage services. The service used feedback cards to obtain feedback from women and their families. We checked 116 feedback cards. The service had made changes as a result of women’s feedback.

• All staff we spoke with told us they felt supported, respected, and valued. They were focused on the needs of women receiving care. Staff enjoyed coming to work and were proud to work for the service.

• The service made sure staff were competent for their roles. Managers appraised staff’s work performance and held supervision meetings with them to provide support and development. All staff received a comprehensive induction. Scanning assistants completed a training and induction programme including chaperone training. Sonographers received a full induction which included working alongside a currently employed sonographer.

• Leaders had the skills and abilities to run the service. They understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced. They were visible and approachable in the service for women and staff.

• The service provided mandatory training in key skills to all staff and made sure everyone completed it. Staff were up to date with their mandatory training. At the time of our inspection, 100% of staff had completed their mandatory training.

• Staff understood how to protect women from abuse and the service worked well with other agencies to do so. The clinic had clear safeguarding processes and procedures in place. All clinic staff were trained to at least safeguarding level two for both vulnerable adults and children.

• The service had enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep people safe from avoidable harm and to provide the right care.

• The service treated concerns and complaints seriously. If a complaint was received the registered manager would complete a comprehensive investigation and share lessons learnt with all staff.

• Staff treated women with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and took account of their individual needs. Staff were caring, compassionate, kind and engaged well with women and their families.

• Women could access services and appointments in a way and a time that suited them. The service used technology innovatively to ensure women had timely access to ultrasound scans.

We found the following areas of outstanding practice;

• Staff provided emotional support to women, families and carers to minimise their distress. The service had organised separate clinic lists to ensure women who may have had an early miscarriage were not sat waiting with heavily pregnant women. Separating the clinics meant if a woman received bad news, they did not have to share a waiting area with women who were further along in their pregnancy.

• All staff were committed to continually learning and improving services. The franchisor produced in house training videos used for further training and development. The service could access a smartphone application called ‘Bumpies.’ This allowed women to document and share images of their pregnancy. Women could share scan images with friends and family if they wished.

• Clinic staff could escalate any concerns to a franchise freedom to speak up guardian (FTSUG). Staff we asked knew who the FTSUG was.

Heidi Smoult

Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals