4, 5, 6 November 2013
During a routine inspection
We observed that people's privacy and dignity was respected as far as possible when ultrasound scans were conducted. One person told us. 'Staff closed the door and blind in the room and the curtain around the examination couch.'
We saw that GP referrals for ultrasound scans were dealt with by the sonographer. One person told us, 'The staff were very kind and explained the scan process to me.'
We saw that staff undertook appropriate cleaning and replaced disposable items of equipment in between patients to maintain a high standard of cleanliness. One person told us, 'The sonographer wore gloves when I had my scan.' This meant that processes were in place for infection prevention and control which reduced the risk of cross infection.
We found that checks had not always been completed on staff to make sure that they were suitable for their job roles.
Staff told us that they felt they had the skills and knowledge to know how to safely support people and complete ultrasound scans.
We found that systems of audit on the quality of the services provided were not always in place. This meant that action was not identified to make improvements, when needed, to the quality of the services.
We had previously been alerted to concerns about record keeping and the handling and storage of patient information. We found that people's information was not always handled in a secure way.