Window to the Womb

Updated 10 October 2022

Window to the Womb is owned by the provider, Babygenic Limited, and operates under a franchise agreement with Window to the Womb (WTTW) (Franchise) Ltd. The service provides diagnostic pregnancy ultrasound services to self-funding women living in Gloucester, Worcester, Hereford and surrounding areas. Window to the Womb opened in March 2020 and provides early pregnancy scans from six weeks and diagnostic pregnancy ultrasound services to women from 16 to 42 weeks of pregnancy. The service is available to women aged 18 years and above. However, young women from the age of 16 can also use the service if accompanied by an appropriate adult. All ultrasound scans performed at Window to the Womb are in addition to those provided through the NHS as part of a pregnancy care pathway. As part of the agreement, the franchisor (Window to the Womb Ltd) provides the clinic with regular onsite support, access to their guidelines and policies, training and the use of their business model and brand. At the time of our inspection, the clinic employed one registered manager, one sonographer and five scan assistants. The service did not employ any medical staff. The clinic did not store or administer any medicines or controlled drugs.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

The service was registered to carry out the following regulated activities:

• Diagnostic and screening procedures

Window to the Womb was registered in 2020 and had not been previously inspected.

Updated 10 October 2022

This was the first inspection for Window to the Womb Gloucester. 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. 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 collected safety information and used it to improve the service.
• Staff provided good 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 too 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 improving services continually.

However:

• The system to audit the quality of scan image reports did not follow the British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS) Guidelines for Professional Ultrasound Practice (December 2021).
• Although we saw evidence of risk assessments and a centrally held risk register, there was no local risk register for the service.
• Although the ultrasound abdominal transducer was cleaned before use, we saw evidence that it had not been cleaned immediately after patient contact.

Updated 10 October 2022

This was the first time we had inspected Window to the Womb Gloucester. We rated it as good. See the summary above for details.