Hey Baby 4D Middlesbrough

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.

This is the first inspection for this service. This key question has been rated 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 an exceptional 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.

All staff consistently interacted with people in a discreet, respectful and responsive manner. Staff invested in anticipating and understanding peoples needs before they came in for their appointment. For example, staff would review notes for any history of previous miscarriage prior to appointments. The booking system included colour-coded appointments. This helped staff to identify people who had already attended and been referred to the NHS service for concerns.

We saw staff give clear explanations to people attending for both pregnancy scans and for blood tests. Staff did this in a way that people could understand.

Staff were able to respond to peoples emotional needs at times when they needed it whilst working within the boundaries of their role. Staff directed people to other services when appropriate, for example, the local wellbeing hub.

People told us they had been treated well and with kindness. Staff had understood their individual circumstances. We observed staff demonstrate compassion throughout appointments from arriving to leaving.

The evidence showed a good 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 placed value on making each appointment an individualised experience according to the needs of the person and reasons for booking. For example, a discussion would take place with individuals about how they would like a gender to be revealed.

The service gathered information from the booking form to plan ahead for reasonable adjustments or individual needs. Staff would contact people in advance of appointments if needed to discuss any individual needs.

Information could be provided to individuals in different formats, for example consent forms would be translated for people who did not read or write in English.

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.

The providers website clearly set out the different scans and blood tests available. Costs were clear and what was included within each type of appointment was outlined with additional detail about the importance of continuing with NHS routine scans and appointments.

People were supported throughout the process from initial booking and within the appointment to understand the scan process. Information was given verbally and on posters in the scan room informing people of their choice to stop the scan at any time.

We observed clear explanation of the process of taking bloods for early gender identification.

The evidence showed a good standard. 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.

The Referrals Policy outlined actions to be taken when an abnormality was seen. The policy also provided guidance for staff on how to communicate with sensitivity and empathy. Responding to the persons individual needs was placed at the forefront of care provision. Staff also recognised the value in understanding the needs of family members and others attending with people. For example, difficult news might affect members of a family in different ways. Staff gave an example of support provided to an expectant father.

The layout of the service had been designed specifically to allow for appropriate response to peoples immediate needs. The quiet room could be used if people received distressing news and a separate exit could be used if people did not wish to leave by the main entrance door when others were present in the waiting room.

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.

Staff felt positive and proud about working for the provider and their team. Staff were clearly respected, supported and valued.

Staff were supported at times when they might experience challenging situations. Individual time was given to staff when they needed it in a supportive way. Wellbeing at work training was available for staff to complete.

The registered manager was also able to access support from peers within the national Hey Baby 4D network of providers.

Staff had monthly one to one sessions with the manager and were able to discuss opportunities for their own development and how this could be supported. The manager actively promoted and considered ways to support staff development both within the Hey Baby 4D setting and externally to this.

Peer support was available for the sonographer, and this was recognised as a means of wellbeing support. There were no formal links identified with other employment support services at the time of inspection. This would be beneficial as a consideration for the future as the service develops.