The Scan Clinic

On this page

• 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.

Staff treated service users with kindness and compassion. They treated service users as individuals and their beliefs, culture and background were considered. The service promoted service users’ independence and enabled them to exercise choice and control over their care and treatment. Service users were positive about their care and treatment. They felt supported in understanding their treatments, and ongoing care plans.

At our last Inspection we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating remained good. This meant people felt well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Service users told us they were treated with kindness and dignity by staff. Service users frequently described the care they received from staff as exceptional. They reported feeling well looked after and described staff interactions as respectful and warm.

During our assessment, we observed staff carry out 4 ultrasound scans. Staff were warm, friendly and reassuring. Service users were treated with privacy and dignity.

Consultations were carried out in a closed room to ensure the service user was not overheard. Staff used a privacy screen to ensure service users dignity was maintained when changing or during intimate scans.

The provider had a dignity and respect policy which was reviewed regularly and in date. Staff followed the policy by promoting the dignity of all people, providing same-sex staff were possible or rescheduling appointments to meet this need. Staff respected service users’ religious beliefs and personal preferences.

Service users felt that staff listened to them and communicated with them appropriately and in a way they could understand. During the assessment, we saw staff taking time to introduce themselves and their role to service users and communicating with them in a respectful and considerate way. We found there was a culture of kindness and respect between staff and people who used the service.

A chaperone was offered for every scan. The chaperones had all received training and were clear about their role and responsibilities.

The service carried out friends and family feedback surveys to obtain feedback about its services. Feedback was mostly positive. Between January and August 2025, the service achieved an average score of 4.6 (out of 5) for the question “were you treated with kindness and compassion by the staff looking after you?” The service achieved an average score of 4.3 for the question “were you treated with dignity and respect?”

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Staff took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the personal, cultural, social and religious needs of people. The service had diverse members of staff who spoke multiple languages. This enabled staff to interact with service users in a language that they understood. The service also made use of language line where necessary.

The service made reasonable adjustments to accommodate people’s needs. They took into consideration service users’ preferences for male or female staff when having their scan.

Service users we spoke with felt they were treated as individuals, and their beliefs and ethnicity were considered.

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

Service users were supported to have choice and control over their care and to make decisions about their care and treatment. They felt listened to and well informed regarding all aspects of their care.

The service provided information on the different scans available and supported service users to choose the right scan for their needs. Service users were reassured and supported through their scan appointments and could have who they chose with them to support them.

Feedback for independence, choice and control was mostly positive. The latest friends and family feedback audit showed that the service achieved an average score of 4.6 (out of 5) for the question “did you feel involved in your care today?”.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff were responsive to service users’ needs and took time to observe, communicate, and engage people in discussions regarding their immediate needs.

Service users felt supported in understanding their care. They shared that staff took the time to explain scan procedures in a way that felt clear and reassuring. One service user was worried about their potential scan results and had chosen the clinic through the recommendation of a member of their family. They expressed that they felt reassured following the scan. Another service user who was anxious prior to their scan said they were immediately put at ease by staff when they entered the scan room.

We observed that staff explained the reason for the ultrasound procedure and the expectations thereof. Staff explained every aspect of the ultrasound procedure.

Staff offered counselling to service users who had suffered a miscarriage. Service users were provided with relevant information leaflets and directed to services where they could access further support and care.

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

Staff we spoke with felt well supported by their managers. They told us the service offered them work/life balance, and they could book time off work when required. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and felt valued by their colleagues and managers.

There were services to support staff wellbeing. This included access to counselling, occupational health and wellbeing services.