Radiographers sound alarm over high street baby scans

The concern follows reports of babies being misdiagnosed as having died and medical emergencies being missed after appointments with high street clinics.

The Society of Radiographers (SoR) said there has been a huge uptick in the number of high street clinics offering pregnancy scans, with anyone with an ultrasound machine able to call themselves a sonographer.

The SoR warned that those performing scans without proper training can lead to “unsafe” situations for the mother and baby.

Poorly performed baby scans have preciously led to instances where a blood clot has been misdiagnosed as a malformed foetus, with the mother advised to have an induced miscarriage despite having a healthy baby, and ectopic pregnancies – which can lead to life threatening outcomes – potentially being missed.

As a result, the SoR is calling for sonographers to have a “protected” job title, meaning only those with qualifications and registered with a regulatory body would be able to use the title.

SoR president and a hospital sonographer Katie Thompson said: “When people go for a scan or any kind of diagnostic test, they assume that the person they’re going to see is qualified to do it.

“They don’t realise that anybody can buy a machine and call themselves a sonographer.

“With registration, no-one would be able to call themselves a sonographer unless they were on that register. If there was a problem or a complaint, the patient would be able to refer them to their regulatory body.”

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Elaine Brooks, a former hospital sonographer and Midlands regional officer for the SoR, recounted a time when a female patient, around eight or nine weeks pregnant, was referred from a private clinic.

“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 is measured 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."

Ms Brooks said that although the mother was over the moon, she was also "distraught" at having been provided incorrect information.

She said that on some occasions, people have gone to private clinics a couple of weeks before their 20-week NHS scan to find out the gender of their baby, and staff have failed to spot major problems.

“Then they come for their NHS scan and there’s quite a large abnormality that should have been picked up – something like spina bifida, polycystic kidneys or fluid-filled ventricles in the head – things that you wouldn’t expect to have developed in a week,” she said.

On other occasions officials have seen cases where ectopic pregnancies have been missed.

The SoR also highlighted concerns about people banned from working in NHS hospitals instead finding employment in private clinics.

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."