A baby scanning provider has been ordered to pay £1580.00 after pleading guilty to providing regulated activities without being registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Precious Glimpse 2 Limited was fined £100 at Warrington Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday 15 November). The company was also ordered to pay a £34 victim surcharge as a result of the prosecution brought by the CQC. During the hearing the judge commented that a more substantial fine of £8000 would have been imposed had the company been financially viable.
Prior to sentencing, the company and directors, Teri Horton and David Mark Jones entered a guilty plea to providing regulated activity from 31 August 2020 to 7 November 2020, in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, without CQC registration.
Of the directors Teri Horton was ordered to pay £320 and £2000 costs and a victim surcharge of £34. David Jones was ordered to pay £1160 with £2000 costs and a victim surcharge of £116
CQC brought the prosecution after it received information that ultrasound equipment was being used to provide baby scans to expectant mothers, which could have exposed them and their babies to a risk of harm due to the service not being registered and monitored by CQC. It is an offence under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to carry out a regulated activity without being registered with CQC.
On 1 July 2020 Precious Glimpse 2 Limited submitted two applications for registration with the CQC as a provider of one regulated activity, diagnostic and screening procedures, along with an associated application for Teri Horton to be registered as manager for the service. This showed they were aware the activity they were proposing to carry out was a regulated activity requiring registration. All of which were refused by CQC.
The company carried out the first baby scan on 31 August 2020, before receiving the outcome of their registration application, despite the directors being aware they must register.
Precious Glimpse 2 Limited is not and has not been registered with CQC.
Debbie Westhead, director national operations said:
“I hope this outcome sends a clear message to others that where we find providers operating outside of the law, we will always use our enforcement powers to protect people and hold them to account to stop poor and illegal practice.
“It’s unacceptable that this provider put vulnerable expectant mothers and their babies at risk by running a service without the benefit of CQC registration, so I welcome their guilty plea.
“The registration process is important to appropriately assess services before they care for people. Services are then monitored and inspected to ensure that they continue to meet standards that people should be able to expect. Unregistered services operate without oversight, putting people at risk of harm.
“When we find providers operating illegally, we do not hesitate to act to protect people.”
"It’s unacceptable that this provider put vulnerable expectant mothers and their babies at risk by running a service without the benefit of CQC registration."
Debbie Westhead, director national operations