Hey Baby 4D Northampton

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Managers were caring and compassionate and had the skills and abilities to run the service. They were visible and approachable and supported staff to develop their skills and take on more senior roles. The service had a vision and strategy for what it wanted to achieve and plans to achieve it developed collaboratively with the team. The senior team promoted a positive culture that supported and valued staff, who felt empowered and respected as a result. The service promoted equality and diversity in daily work. The service had an open culture where people, their families and staff could raise concerns without fear.

Governance processes were effective and facilitated collaborative working and encouraged innovation. Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities and had regular opportunities to meet, discuss, and learn from the performance of the service. There were appropriate systems to manage performance effectively. Risk management systems were well developed, multidisciplinary, and included local NHS and other independent services.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider’s values focused on providing a safe, warm, and welcoming environment and ensuring staff provided individualised support to people. The service worked closely with NHS teams to ensure people at risk, or with urgent needs, received the right care.

The provider carried out an annual audit and quality check as part of continuous learning and quality assurance. The service had performed well in the previous 2 audits, with only a minor health and safety issue to address.

The team met every 2 months to discuss developments in the service, changes to policy or guidance, incidents, and complaints.

The location operated as a franchise and the registered manager ran a location in Derby in addition to this service. A general manager and deputy manager, along with the registered manager/franchise owner formed the senior leadership team. They worked between the 2 locations and ensured a senior member of staff was always on site or available to attend at short notice. This system worked well for the size of the location and staff were trained and competent to manage the day-to-day operation of the service.

Staff had regular meetings with managers and each other, and minutes indicated a continuous focus on service quality and supporting staff wellbeing. All staff we spoke with spoke positively about their relationships with the senior team and noted they were always available for help.

Managers ensured sonographers had support to access continuing professional development and ensured the service was always up to date with national guidance. They provided the locum sonographer with the same levels of support, training, and opportunities as permanent colleagues.

The service had a whistleblowing policy that enabled staff to raise concerns confidentially with any member of the senior team. Managers we spoke with understood their responsibilities in the event they received a whistleblowing complaint, and all staff were aware of the procedure to follow. They said they felt confident the senior team would act appropriately.

The team was relatively small, made up of 7 staff, including managers. We saw close working relationships in a culture that valued everyone’s input and efforts. As such, staff said any issues or problems were rare and they were able to solve problems together.

Equality and inclusion were embedded in policies and procedures, including the recruitment process. Managers made sure staff had equal and equitable access to continuing professional development opportunities. They also worked with each member of staff to adjust working hours in line with their personal needs and commitments, which promoted an inclusive working culture.

Diversity and inclusion were embedded across all aspects of the service, including in new staff onboarding, training, and governance systems.

All staff completed equality and diversity training that helped them deliver care in line with the provider’s diversity policy. This ensured people with protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act (2010) received care free from bias.

Staff were able to develop their skills and competencies and work towards more senior posts. For example, the deputy manager had progressed, with training and professional development, into the post from their first job with the provider as a receptionist. This was part of the registered manager’s succession plan, which would eventually see the general manager take on their duties. This approach for people who used the service and provided staff with targeted goals for development that would support the growth and expansion of the service.

Senior staff met with the local NHS trust monthly to discuss referrals. This ensured referrals were appropriate and timely and in the best interest of people. As this service offered a private, elective service and the NHS offered public, scheduled care during pregnancies, this governance arrangement ensured the different services worked safely together.

The service used CCTV on site for security purposes. Information regarding this was displayed in the reception area in line with Information Commissioner’s Office guidance. Access was limited to the registered manager and all data was automatically erased after 30 days.

The senior team monitored all aspects of the service using an integrated governance system. This included internal audit results, scan outcome quality monitoring, health and safety reviews, incidents, and complaints.

Staff used a rolling programme of 14 audits to monitor service standards and quality. Audits included infection control and the quality of images. Results were consistently good and reflected the embeddedness of up to date working practices and staff competencies.

The professional culture was centered on continuous improvement and empathetic care for people. Staff were empowered and encouraged to engage with community partners to drive service improvement, such as with laboratories offering extended reassurance testing to enhance the pregnancy journey.

Partnerships with non-profit agencies helped provide people with on-demand support, particularly for first-time mothers or complex pregnancies. The wide range of health promotion materials offered to people resulted from the team’s efforts to meet holistic needs and react to changes in demand. Staff were engaged and passionate as a result and proactively explored new ways of working when this could result in improved care outcomes. For example, they implemented signposting to a service that carried out dietary screening to identify the child’s genetic predisposition to conditions such as lactose intolerance and coeliac disease in advance. The service also facilitated access to an umbilical cord and tissue bank service that preserved the baby’s umbilical cord stem cells for future treatment of cancer and tumours.

The team’s work to establish working relationships with local NHS services significantly enhanced how the team could respond to people’s needs when they involved previously undetected concerns or medical problems. This helped reduce anxiety because sonographers facilitated rapid access to urgent care. This provided people with assurance and reduced pressure on NHS services by avoiding unnecessary urgent care attendance.

Staff considered the wider, holistic needs of people in all aspects of the service design and delivery. For example, the service had commissioned a local artist to create artwork that contributed to a positive, welcoming environment by displaying images of body positivity.

Feedback indicated people and their families appreciated such efforts and felt they enhanced the experience of visiting the clinic.

The team were proactive in acting on changes in demand, or new themes in requests. For example, they implemented service adaptations and staff training for neurodiverse people and autistic people and completed staff awareness training to help the team understand more about the specific needs of LGBTQ+ people.

The team had developed a good understanding of the warning signs of mental ill health, such as through person aggression or unusual requests for a high number of scans. In response staff completed more advanced training and worked with NHS colleagues to identify how to coordinate care for complex needs.

The registered manager had a succession plan that included a management restructure, with new opportunities for the current general manager and the deputy manager.

The team were pleased with the balance between capacity and demand and focused on continuous improvement to build on the existing good person feedback while recognising changing needs and social themes. For example, the team implemented new policies and service adaptations for people living with neurodiversity, autism, and learning disabilities.

Team meeting minutes demonstrated the team worked well together and with colleagues in other clinics to identify future opportunities. This included a focus on social media presence to help potential people understand how the service may help them.