For expectant parents, a baby scan should be a moment of joy, but for some who have used high street clinics, they have been left with trauma.
The Society of Radiographers (SoR) has warned that high street baby scan clinics are ‘unsafe,’ citing reports of unborn babies being incorrectly declared dead and serious medical emergencies being overlooked.
These ultrasound clinics are popping up in shopping centres, industrial estates, and on high streets across the country.
They attract expectant parents who want to see their baby more often than the two standard NHS scans offered at 12 and 20 weeks.
Katie Thompson, a senior sonographer and president of SoR, told Metro: ‘A lot of them have popped up recently because it is lucrative as people want to see their babies, so they’ll go and have scans of them.’
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
But what the parents-to-be do not realise is that the job title of sonographer is not protected – meaning the ‘professional’ sat in front of you might not be regulated or even have qualifications.
Katie also told Metro: ‘You can be out of practice, you might not know what to do if you find a problem or how to refer it, or you might not actually see it on the scan at all if you haven’t got the experience.’
At some of these clinics, misdiagnoses can stem from a lack of experience.
More worryingly, others work beyond their professional scope, offering advice or interpretations they’re not qualified to give.
In some cases, the person carrying out the scan may provide inaccurate information, leaving parents distressed and anxious.
Worrying examples of ‘unsafe’ situations for mother and baby at these high street clinics
- A blood clot was misdiagnosed as a malformed foetus, with the mother advised to have an induced miscarriage even though the baby was healthy
- Ectopic pregnancies – which can lead to life-threatening outcomes – being missed entirely
- Missed abnormalities that should have been detected and referred
- A misdiagnosed problem with the cervix, with the practitioner advising the mother to have two weeks of bed rest – this advice is really dangerous as you could end up with a blood clot. But also with this, a shortening cervix can lead to miscarriage, which can be prevented
‘We had a lady referred to the hospital earlier this year as the clinic said they’d not been able to see the baby’s stomach,’ Katie told Metro.
The mother was, understandably, concerned and called her midwife.
A scan was carried out by SoR, and the baby was completely fine with a normal stomach.
Katie said: ‘It caused undue anxiety to this patient who had gone for this scan. It was unnecessary distress.
‘If the person doing the scan was concerned, they should have just contacted the hospital straight away and got them to come up for a scan.’
Elaine Brooks, a former hospital sonographer and Midlands regional officer for the SoR, said: ‘One time, we had a lady referred in from a private clinic who was eight or nine weeks pregnant.
‘The sonographer at the private clinic said there was no heartbeat for the baby and that the baby was very, very malformed, and they sent her in for an induced miscarriage.
‘The trust I was working in never accepts reports that come in from private clinics, so we started scanning the lady, who was in tears. On the scan, there was clearly a beautiful nine-week pregnancy with a heartbeat. It was absolutely fine.
‘Next to the pregnancy was a blood clot – what they’d done was measure the blood clot. But there was a foetus of normal appearance above it. If the hospital had given her the medication the private clinic had recommended, that baby would have miscarried.
‘The mother was absolutely over the moon – but also very distraught, because she’d been knocking back the wine all weekend.’
These examples are why the SoR has tried for several years to make the title of sonographer ‘protected.’
This means only those with qualifications and registration with a regulatory body would be able to use the title.
Were you aware that someone could be a sonographer without a qualification?
-
Yes
-
No
Katie told Metro: ‘Regulation would make it much safer, because it would mean that we would be able to report people that were doing the job wrong so they’d be removed from the register and wouldn’t be able to work as one anymore.
‘But at the moment, you can still work even if you’ve been removed from one register.
‘You can still work as a sonographer in another clinic that doesn’t mind if you’re not on a register or not.
‘The government needs to do this, but at the moment, they seem reluctant.’
Katie is not the only one who believes the title should be protected. A recent survey carried out by the SoR found that 80% of sonographers were in favour of bringing regulation for sonography to bring up safety standards.
Gill Harrison, the SoR’s professional officer for ultrasound, said: ‘Patients often don’t know who’s conducting their scan.
‘Many are appalled when they realise that someone with no qualifications, or who has been struck off a professional register, can still perform their ultrasound scan.’
The Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement: ‘No parent should face the trauma of an incorrect diagnosis, and our sympathies are with families affected.
‘We are committed to ensuring appropriate regulation for all health and care professions so patients can feel confident their care is in safe and qualified hands.
‘The regulation of healthcare professionals is kept under review to ensure patient safety remains paramount. We will carefully consider any proposals from professional bodies regarding this.’
Have you had a bad experience with a high street baby scan clinic? If so, email me at Molly.Lee.met@metro.co.uk.