The Scan Clinic

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We looked for evidence that people and communities were always at the centre of how care was planned and delivered. We checked that the health and care needs of people and communities were understood, and they were actively involved in planning care that met these needs. We also looked for evidence that people could access care in ways that met their personal circumstances and protected equality characteristics.

People were involved in decisions about their care. People were provided with relevant information about their care. People knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. People could access the service at a time and date suitable for them.

However, the service was located on the first floor, without access to a lift. This meant that service users with mobility needs could not access the service.

At our last inspection, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

We have not awarded this service a score for Responsive.

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

The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Service users were given clear information and guidance regarding their care and treatment options. They were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. They understood their condition, care and treatment options (including any associated risks and benefits) and any advice provided.

Pregnant women and birthing people were informed that obstetric scans were to complement NHS maternity pathways only and staff ensured women had registered with maternity services.

The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

The service had a clear criteria for its’ service user groups. This included adults (18 years or over), pregnant women and young people aged 16-17 with appropriate consent. They did not provide services for children under 16 years old, emergency or acute care, and treatments outside the scope of diagnostic ultrasound. The service received referrals from independent healthcare providers and local GPs. Service users could also self-refer.

The service operated in a way to ensure continuity of care. The service had connections with local NHS early pregnancy units and referred individuals where this was required. The service liaised effectively with partner organisations including private laboratories for its phlebotomy services, referrers and GPs.

The service co-ordinated and delivered services with the needs and preferences of its’ service user group in mind. Staff considered peoples’ religious and personal preferences, as well as their communication needs. For example, they honoured service users’ preferences for male or female staff when having their scan.

The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

Staff provided service users, their families, and carers with information that was accessible, safe, secure, and supported their rights and choices. Service users were provided with relevant information about their ultrasound scan.

Information about the services offered were accessible online. This included details of the cost of each of the services offered.

People’s individual needs to have information in an accessible way were identified. This included making reasonable adjustments for people that require translation services.

Feedback about information provided was mostly positive. The latest friends and family feedback audit showed that the service achieved an average score of 4.7 (out of 5) for the question “was information given about your care?”

The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

Service users and their families knew how to give feedback about their experiences of care including how to raise any concerns or issues and could do so in a range of accessible ways.

The service had a complaints policy, which provided guidance to staff on the processes they should follow in the event of a complaint. Staff understood the complaints policy and knew how to escalate concerns.

Managers investigated complaints and identified themes. Managers shared feedback from complaints with staff and learning was used to improve the service.

Staff recorded 10 complaints on the complaints log between November 2024 and September 2025. The complaints log provided a brief description of the complaint, outcome, and learnings. All complaints were acknowledged and responded to within specified timescales outlined by the provider’s policy. Learning was used to improve the service. In one case, staff provided clearer directions to the clinic and updated the confirmation email template to include parking details following a complaint about parking and directions to the clinic.

The service carried out an annual complaints audit. The audit reviewed all complaints received in the year 2024. The audit concluded staff had adhered to standards regarding the timeliness of acknowledgement and responses, standard of investigations, documentation and implementation of actions.

The service had a focus group meeting with service users every 2 years. This aimed to actively involve service users in the review and improvement of services. The service also aimed to actions to improve service users experience and ensure compliance with the CQC’s five key questions. The focus group summary from May 2025 showed feedback from service users was mostly positive. The provider identified areas for improvement and established an action plan to improve the service. For example, to address the issue of long telephone booking time, the provider migrated most services to online self-booking to reduce reliance on phone calls.

The latest friends and family feedback audit showed that the service achieved an average score of 4.6 (out of 5) for the question asking if people were likely to recommend the service.

The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

Service users were offered a choice of appointments at a time and date convenient for them. They could book appointments through the provider’s website or via a phone call to the service. Service users could book same or next day appointments. The service also accommodated urgent appointments when possible.

The service provided obstetric service users with scan reports on the same day, before leaving the clinic. All other reports were available within 24 hours. Staff had processes to refer to the service users GP or consultant or emergency services for urgent findings.

During our assessment, we noted a seamless flow from arrival at the service to completion of the scan.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

The service had a policy which covered equal opportunities for visitors making use of the organisation’s premises and services. This contained provisions to prevent discrimination against visitors based on their protected characteristics. The service also had an equality and diversity policy, and staff had completed equality and diversity training.

Staff had a good understanding of their service user group and how to support people based on their cultural and social needs in order to achieve the best outcomes and experience for people.

However, the service was located on the first floor, without access to a lift. This meant that service users with mobility needs could not access the service. Staff screened service users before booking to ensure they would be able to access the service.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future.

Service users were supported to make informed decisions about their care. They were directed to services where they could access further support and care.