Phoenix Ultrasound

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We looked for evidence that people were always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We checked that people’s privacy and dignity was respected, that they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also looked for evidence that every effort was made to take people’s wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

This is the first inspection for this service. This key question has been rated requires improvement. We identified a breach of the legal regulations in relation to dignity and respect.

This service scored 60 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion but did not consistently respect their privacy and dignity. The door to the clinic room was left unlocked and not properly closed during examinations, including intimate procedures. Staff did not draw curtains around patients. The entrance to the clinic itself was not secured either. This meant patients' privacy and dignity were not respected and always upheld. This was a breach of the legal regulation in relation to dignity and respect.

Staff treated patients with kindness and respect. Staff listened to patients when they described their reasons for wanting an ultrasound scan. The sonographer showed compassion when scans identified significant findings. We spoke with patients after their scan, and they told us staff had been helpful and friendly.

The service had an up-to-date chaperone policy and chaperone information was displayed in the waiting area and clinic room. The sonographer asked patients if they wanted a chaperone present during the scan. The administrator acted as chaperone and had received appropriate training. We saw the sonographer left the clinic room and asked the administrator to help patients prepare for scans, for example undressing and lying down on the couch with the body covered until scanning commenced.

The service treated people as individuals but did not always make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences.

We were not assured patients’ communication needs were always met; for example, some people with English as their second language did not always appear to fully understand what was said to them. We did not see the clinician check full understanding before ending the appointment. Nor did a discussion take place to gauge whether patients needed help with interpreting. This was a risk as the service could not be clear whether their patient fully understood the outcome of their appointment and the potential need for further follow-up.

Following a pregnancy scan, the service gave patients ultrasound pictures in a picture frame and on a keyring. Foetal heartbeats were recorded and the recording placed in a teddy bear for patients to take home.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were given the choice whether they wanted their report to be shared with their GP or another relevant medical practitioner.

Staff allowed accompanying adults into the clinic room with patients if the patient wanted them at their side.

Staff had access to a portable hearing loop for patients with hearing loss.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes.

The sonographer explained procedures before the scan started. This included an explanation of the use of non-ionising radiation, and the use of the ultrasound probe. We did not observe the sonographer explaining further detail during the procedure. During some of the scans we observed, patients were clearly becoming anxious; however, the sonographer appeared unaware of this and did not provide a commentary or an explanation. The outcome of the scan was discussed with patients after the scan was completed.

At the time of the inspection, report turnaround time was 24 hours. Staff checked online patient feedback regularly and responded to any negative feedback quickly.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care.

Phoenix Ultrasound is a small clinic with 5 employees. From our interactions, it was clear staff respected each other. Staff were rarely in the clinic at the same time, but the twice-monthly team meetings ensured there was ongoing communication.

Staff never worked alone and there was always a minimum of 2 staff members in the clinic.