Window To The Womb

Updated 24 March 2022

The clinic is in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire and is owned by Baby Scans Cheshire Limited, trading as Window to the Womb (Ellesmere Port). The clinic has one scan room, a reception area /waiting room and an area where service users can choose their photographs and keepsakes. It is located on the ground floor of a building very close to the rail station and is fully accessible. The clinic is registered to provide the following regulated activities:

• Diagnostic and screening procedures

There was a registered manager for the clinic who had been in post for around one year. There had been a registered manager in post since the clinic opened in 2018.

We had not inspected or rated this location previously.

Window to the Womb in Ellesmere Port is part of a franchise group. The franchise headquarters is in Stockport and the franchisees who own the clinic also own two other Window to the Womb franchise clinics.

The clinic provides pregnancy ultrasound services to women aged 16 to 65.

Window to the Womb has separated their services into two clinic types. ‘Firstscan’ clinic sessions specialise in early pregnancy scans from seven weeks up to 16 weeks gestation. ‘Window to the Womb’ clinic sessions offer later pregnancy scans. The Firstscan and Window to the Womb sessions take place at different times. All women were given a scan to check the well-being of the foetus but women could also receive gender identity scans and 4D bonding scans up to 30 weeks of pregnancy.

All women accessing the service self-refer to the clinic and are all seen as private (paying) clients.

The clinic was open on two weekdays and at weekends.

At the time of our inspection the clinic employed one registered manager, four sonographers and four scan assistants. There was also an area manager who worked there one to two days per week.

In the reporting period January 2021 to December 2021 the service carried out 2,621 scans on women who were 16 to 40 weeks pregnant and 1,450 scans on women from seven to 16 weeks pregnant.

Updated 24 March 2022

Our rating of this location. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for women and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect women from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to women, acted on them and kept good care records. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided effective care and treatment. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of women, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information.
• Staff treated women with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to women, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of women's individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait long for their results.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of women receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with women and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to continuous improvement.

However:

• The provider needed to ensure that they obtained the appraisals for Sonographers working at the service whose substantive post was in the NHS or another provider.

Updated 24 March 2022

Our rating of this location. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for women and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect women from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to women, acted on them and kept good care records. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided effective care and treatment. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of women, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information.
• Staff treated women with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to women, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of women's individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait long for their results.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of women receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with women and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to continuous improvement.

However:

• The provider needed to ensure that they obtained the appraisals for Sonographers working at the service whose substantive post was in the NHS or another provider.