Window To The Womb Stoke

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• 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

We looked for evidence that there was an inclusive and positive culture of continuous learning and improvement that was based on meeting the needs of women who used services and wider communities. We checked that leaders proactively supported staff and collaborated with partners to deliver care that was safe, integrated, person-centred, and sustainable, and to reduce inequalities.

At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating was good.

This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

We have not awarded this service a score for Well-led.

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

The evidence showed a good standard. The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

In relation to the service vision, Window To The Womb aimed to offer expectant parents a unique and reassuring experience with the latest technology that was staffed by highly trained professionals to ensure every scan was performed with precision and care. They aimed to ensure a welcoming environment with a focus on providing exceptional customer care and to ensure that each visit was memorable and tailored to needs.

Leaders felt communication from the brand was good. Staff felt respected, supported, and valued. Staff reported that the leadership culture was inclusive and how they felt valued and respected. Relationships between staff of all grades were positive, with strong teamwork and collaboration.

The service provided opportunities for career development, we spoke with 2 staff members who had been promoted within the service. The service had an open culture where women, their families, and carers as well as staff could raise concerns without fear.

We saw leaders had bought easter eggs for staff to take home to their children.

Staff met monthly to review the previous month’s operations, review learning opportunities, share practices and celebrate any wins.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders had a range of experience, skills, and abilities to run the service, and they understood and managed the priorities and issues the service faced.

Leaders had a good rapport with women and enjoyed being part of their journey. They told us it was important to them women were comfortable, heard and that they had the best experience.

They told us how they had an open-door policy and as it was a small service the registered manager worked alongside all members of staff daily which made it easy to recognise when staff needed additional support.

Leaders at all levels were visible and approachable in the service for women and staff. Staff felt the leaders supported them to develop their skills and take on more senior roles.

Leaders knew how to deal with concerns when raised which promoted a positive culture in the service. Leaders of different levels attended the service to assess for themselves how the service was running.

The evidence showed a good standard .The service fostered a positive culture where staff felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

There was a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian in place. They were visiting the service on the day of the inspection. There had not been any themes or trends at the service. There was a Freedom to Speak Up policy available to staff.

Staff and leaders acted with openness, honesty, and transparency. Staff were encouraged to raise concerns and offer ideas; the culture allowed staff to be confident their voices were heard.

Women, their families, and carers had access to information to explain how they could raise a concern and around what to do if the service had not met their expectations. Staff were encouraged to respond to immediate concerns or complaints with a view to early resolution.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service valued diversity in their workforce. Staff work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for everyone.

There was an equality and diversity policy in place. Leaders ensured staff could work flexibly if possible. Staff told us how they were able to work more flexibly due to the different hours the service was open. We saw staff had been provided with training around understanding LGBTQ+ people. The service had recruited some of their staff internationally. We spoke to a staff member who had been recruited internationally, and they told us how well they had been supported.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate

Staff at all levels were clear about their roles and accountabilities. Where leaders had designated tasks related to audit and monitoring quality of services, they understood what was required of them. There were regular team meetings.

The service operated effective governance processes through on-site activities. There was a range of information collected, monitored and communicated internally. Brand leaders visited the service on a yearly basis to complete their own audit programme. We reviewed the latest audit dated March 2026 and noted the service was compliant in all areas assessed.

Staff could find the data they needed, in easily accessible formats, to understand performance, make decisions and improvements. The information systems were secure.

Scan protocols were well laid out and easily accessible digitally.

There were processes in place in relation to safety alerts. These were often sent to the service from the brand. The service would then discuss with the team and update policies if needed.

Leaders made sure that accurate information was discussed and shared with key staff. For example, information was shared face to face, via email or in team meetings. Risks were clearly identified and a formal log of these was kept. Leaders were able to give an example of how they had previously managed staff performance.

Audit processes and the outcomes were used to ensure quality of services was maximised. Patient identifiable information was handled correctly. We reviewed several policies and found these were up to date and readily available to staff.

Leaders were aware of the risks and regularly reviewed them. These were held both in an easily accessible folder and electronically. The service displayed its current CQC rating in the clinic.

The service held medical malpractice insurance for the reassurance and safety of the people as well as protection for the sonographer. Recruitment checks and Disclosure and Barring Service checks were completed.

There was a clear recruitment policy for international staff and processes in place to ensure equivalence of qualifications and experience.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

The service had undertaken several charity events to support the community and to raise money and with staff input have held at least 2 events a year. Staff gave examples of how they had supported other organisations with the funds raised. The next charity event was planned for June 2026. They worked closely with the local hospitals when a woman had needed to go to hospital following their scan, they shared detailed scan reports with women to take with them so the best care could then be provided.

The evidence showed a good standard. The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research.

Staff were supported to have the time to develop their skills. Leaders encouraged innovation. For example, a new initiative had been put in place called The Parent Room. This was a free online tool women could access via a quick response code to download scan media and reports, track their pregnancy and babies' development, enjoy discounts, read relevant content based on their gestation and invite friends and family to support them on their journey.

The senior sonographer did supervised sessions with other sonographers at the Stoke site and other sites monthly. Sonographers also met every 2 months to discuss any special cases and share learning.