Unregulated pregnancy scans putting lives in danger, experts say

High street clinics offering pregnancy scans could be putting unborn babies and their mothers in danger through a lack of properly trained staff, UK experts warn.

Hospital specialists report cases of missed health problems, misdiagnosed conditions and instances where women were wrongly told their babies had died or were malformed.

The Society of Radiographers (SoR) says high street clinics have grown rapidly in number, but anyone can buy an ultrasound machine and perform scans without qualifications.

Katie Thompson, a hospital sonographer and president of the SoR said: “I had a lady referred for a potential miscarriage from a clinic and when I scanned her they’d measured a bleed in the womb and completely missed a very early pregnancy sac with a baby inside it.”

Potentially, if they were at a private clinic that could offer a miscarriage service, they could have been given medication to bring on a miscarriage on a pregnancy that was actually not miscarrying.

The SoR says it has seen cases where private clinics wrongly diagnosed ectopic pregnancies — where the embryo implants outside the womb, which can be life-threatening — or missed actual ectopic pregnancies. Clinics have also misdiagnosed cervical problems and missed abnormalities in babies.

Elaine Brooks, a former hospital sonographer and Midlands regional officer for the SoR, said some people attended their 20-week NHS scan after having a private “sexing” scan a week or two earlier.

She said: “And 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.”

Spina bifida is a birth defect where the spine and spinal cord do not form properly.

Polycystic kidneys involve multiple cysts in the kidneys, while fluid-filled brain ventricles can indicate hydrocephalus, a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid.

The SoR is calling for ‘sonographer’ to become a protected job title, meaning only qualified practitioners registered with a regulatory body could use it, similar to radiographer, dietitian or speech and language therapist.

Thompson said: “At the moment, absolutely anybody can go and buy an ultrasound machine and set up a practice without any qualifications whatsoever. And that has happened.

“There has been somebody that bought a machine and started scanning in her front room because after having a baby, she thought it’d be a nice thing to do.”

Thompson said it was possible for people struck off professional registers to continue offering ultrasound scans privately.

The SoR said the Health and Care Professions Council had evidence of a sonographer struck off the radiographers’ professional register for 10 years for sexual misconduct who was later employed in a private ultrasound clinic.

Thompson said the lack of a professional register made it difficult for patients to verify qualifications, but there were steps people could take.

These include checking how long a clinic has been operating, whether it is registered with and has been inspected by the Care Quality Commission, and seeking recommendations from midwives, GPs, NHS sonographers, friends or family.

“There are some excellent private clinics around that have fully qualified staff,” she said.

The Department of Health and Social Care noted that while sonography is not a legally regulated profession, sonographers can voluntarily join the Register of Clinical Technologists, allowing patients to check whether they have met professional standards.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “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.”