Rainbow Baby Scans

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

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. We checked that staff treated people with dignity and respect and that their views and experiences and the way they were supported mattered.

This was the first rating for this service we rated it Good: This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

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 evidence showed a good standard. The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff were kind and compassionate. They were respectful and responsive, providing women with help, emotional support and advice at the time they needed it. Women told us staff understood the individual needs of pregnant women, including their personal, cultural, social and religious needs.

Staff signposted women to other services when appropriate and, if required, supported them to access those services. For example, counselling and antenatal classes.

Feedback about the service was positive. People valued the warm and welcoming environment, described staff as professional and knowledgeable, and told the manager that the scanning experience helped them feel reassured and connected with their baby.

Staff maintained women’s privacy and dignity which were respected and always upheld. Women having scans needed to expose their abdomen during the procedure, so staff made sure there was a clear ‘do not disturb’ sign on the clinical room.

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

Staff tailored scans to meet the woman’s individual needs. Women’s cultural, social and religious needs were understood and met. For example, providing care from women to women and making sure any religious, social or cultural needs were supported.

Feedback from women and their families was positive. As part of the assessment, we reviewed feedback from women about the service in multiple formats, online reviews and paper feedback collected by the service. On one major digital review platform the service had received 96 reviews and was rated overall with 5 stars. Feedback from women showed staff provided personalised care and treated people with kindness and compassion. Women described staff as "very welcoming", "amazing and friendly" and said staff went "above and beyond" to support them during their appointments.

Staff took a person-centred approach, adapted care to individual circumstances and helped women feel comfortable and supported during their scans. One woman told us staff were "very patient" when their baby was lying in a position that made scanning difficult. They said staff took the time needed to complete the scan and provide reassurance throughout the appointment. Another woman who fed back using the social media review page said staff were "very helpful" and that they could not have asked for a better experience. Feedback also highlighted the warm and welcoming atmosphere, with women saying they enjoyed attending the service and felt valued as individuals.

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

Women were able to exercise choice and control over their care by selecting and arranging private ultrasound appointments to meet their individual needs and preferences. Feedback showed women returned to the service for additional scans, including gender reveal scans, reflecting their ability to choose the type of service they wanted. Women described staff as supportive, welcoming and responsive to their needs during appointments. Feedback also demonstrated staff were patient and adapted the scan to the individual circumstances of the woman and baby, helping women to remain involved in and informed about their care throughout the experience.

The evidence showed an exceptional standard. The service was exceptional in how they 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 made sure women’s needs, views and comfort were a priority. Staff made sure women were listened to and their concerns and fears were considered. Staff escalated abnormal scan findings to appropriate NHS services to help ensure women received timely specialist assessment and treatment. Where a baby's position meant gender could not be confirmed, women were offered a repeat scan at a reduced cost. The service also recognised the emotional impact of pregnancy loss and offered women access to emotional support, including counselling and debrief sessions.

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

Women received safe, effective, and person-centred care as the provider recognised and met the wellbeing needs of themselves and any staff. This included the necessary resources for safe working such as regular breaks and rest areas.

Staff felt valued and had access to personalised support that recognised diversity. The receptionist felt supported by the manager and was able to contribute to service delivery. The manager actively involved them in decision making and enabled them to voice their concerns. The sonographer was also the manager and owner of the service.