HELLO BABY

Updated 5 December 2022

Hello Baby is operated by Katie Ellison Limited. Hello Baby registered with the Care Quality Commission in 2017. The service has had a registered manager in place since initial registration.

The service provides a range of ultrasound scans in 2D, 3D and 4D during pregnancy for women aged 18 years and over.

It is registered to provide the regulated activity of diagnostic and screening procedures.

All scans were performed by the registered manager and the service employed five receptionists.

We inspected this service on 21 June 2019 and rated it Requires Improvement with breaches in Health & Social Care Act (HSCA) (RA) Regulations 2014. These included, Regulation 11: Need for consent, Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment, Regulation 13: Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment, and Regulation 16: Receiving and acting on complaints.

A further inspection was undertaken on 3 March 2022 due to concerns identified in our monitoring approach. On this occasion the rating went down as the service had failed to make the required improvements identified in the last inspection and had breaches of HSCA (RA) Regulation 14. These included, Regulation 10: Dignity and respect, Regulation 16: Receiving and acting on complaints, Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment, and Regulation 17 Good Governance.

We rated the service inadequate overall and suspended the service pending actions it must take. The suspension was lifted in April 2022 following improvements made by the service.

For more details please refer to the previous report about this service in March 2022.

This inspection is a follow up inspection to assess the service and review the rating.

Updated 5 December 2022

The service had enough staff with the right skills to carry out activities relevant to this service to keep people 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 care records.

The registered manager monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of women, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to information when this was required.

Staff treated women with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, and helped them understand their keepsake images. They provided emotional support to women, families and carers when this was necessary.

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. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for their images.

The registered manager ran the service well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of women using the service. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. All staff were committed to continually improving the service.

However:

• The service had not yet included training awareness for Learning Disability and Autism which had become mandatory on the 1 July 2022.
• The service had sensitive information recorded on paper which although shredded was not disposed of correctly using a confidential waste disposal service.
• The service did not have evidence of maintaining hand hygiene measures.
• Two references had not been obtained for new employees or risk assessed before starting employment.

Updated 1 January 2020

We rated this service as requires improvement because we found breaches of regulation in safe, responsive and well-led.

Updated 5 December 2022

See overall summary above