UK experts have warned that large clinics offering maternity scans could be putting unborn babies and their mothers at risk due to a lack of properly trained staff.
According to the Society of Radiologists (SoR), the number of central hospitals has increased significantly. However, hospital experts say they have seen cases of missed health problems, misdiagnosed conditions and situations where women were incorrectly told their babies were deformed or died.
“I had a woman come to me from the clinic about a possible miscarriage, and when I scanned her, they measured bleeding in the uterus and completely missed a very early pregnancy sac with the baby inside it,” said Kathy Thompson, a hospital sonographer and president of SoR.
“Potentially, if they were in a private clinic that could offer miscarriage services, they could be given some medication to induce a miscarriage in a pregnancy that was not actually a miscarriage,” she said.
The SoR also said there were cases of private clinics incorrectly telling women they had an ectopic pregnancy (a potentially life-threatening condition) or, conversely, missing ectopic pregnancies, as well as misdiagnosing cervical problems and missing abnormalities in babies who should have been taken away.
Elaine Brooks, a former sonographer at the hospital and SoR's regional officer for the Midlands, said some people attended their 20-week scan at the hospital after having a private gender determination scan a week or two ago.
“And then they come in for an NHS scan and there should have been a pretty serious abnormality – something like spina bifida, polycystic kidneys or fluid-filled ventricles in the head – things you wouldn't expect to develop in a week,” she said.
The revelations come amid SoR calls for sonographers to have a “protected” job title – meaning it can only be used by qualified professionals registered with the regulator. It's already like that titles such as radiologist, nutritionist and speech therapist.
“At this point, absolutely anyone can go out and buy an ultrasound machine and start practicing without any qualifications. And that's what happened,” Thompson said. “There was someone who bought a machine and started scanning in her living room because after she had her baby she thought it would be a good idea.”
Thompson said people who have been removed from the professional register can also offer ultrasound scanning in a private setting.
SoR stated that Health and the Health Professions Council had evidence that the sonographer had been struck off the professional register of radiologists for 10 years for sexual misconduct and was then employed by a private ultrasound clinic.
Thompson said the lack of a professional registry means it is difficult to check whether someone has received the appropriate training, but there are some steps people can take.
This includes checking how long the clinic has been in business, not only whether it is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) but whether it has been visited, and checking reviews. Thompson also suggested seeking advice from midwives, friends, family, GPs and NHS sonographers.
“There are some excellent private clinics around with fully qualified staff,” she said.
The Department of Health and Social Care noted that although sonography is not a regulated profession, sonographers can voluntarily join the Register of Clinical Technologists, which means patients can check whether they meet professional standards.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “No parent should have to face the trauma of being misdiagnosed and we sympathize with the families affected.
“We are committed to ensuring that all health and care professions are properly regulated so that patients can feel confident that their care is in safe and qualified hands.
“The regulation of healthcare professionals is under constant review to ensure that patient safety remains a paramount concern. We will carefully consider any proposals from professional bodies in this regard.”
