11 February 2013
During a routine inspection
Staff told us that the scans were carried out in Ultra Sound Scan (USS) rooms situated in local hospitals and health centres that were "rented" by the hour or day by the provider. We were unable to inspect these rooms on the day of our inspection.
Staff told us that choices in treatment, location and timing were offered from the initial point of contact. A Patient information Sheet was given by the General Practitioner (GP) detailing contact numbers and describing the process. This sheet also gave the complaints procedure and asked for peoples opinions of the service.
We looked at personnel files and saw that there were enough staff for service provided and that these staff had the correct qualifications, certificates and training in place.
We reviewed the providers auditing and service improvement methods and saw that these were overseen by the British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS), the local Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the Independent Diagnostic Practitioners Association (IDPA). These professional bodies all had their own guidelines and professional standards to be met and had led to the recent awarding of an AQP (Any Qualified Person) by the local PCT meaning that the provider was now a major provider for the area.