Service User Guide

Please drink plenty of water before arrival, especially if your chosen package is before 15 weeks. A full bladder is recommended for the early dating scans (abdominal scan) and it will improve the quality of the images on the day. Depending on the period of gestation, an abdominal scan is generally undertaken. However, if an early (minimum of 6 weeks) scan or a women health pelvic scan is requested there may be a need to complete an internal (trans-vaginal) scan to obtain clear images. However, we will always start with an abdominal scan and if this is inconclusive, we will explain to you the transvaginal procedure, including any risks. Vaginal invasive procedures carry risks like i.e., any infection in the pelvic area, there for each client will be health screened/ risk assessed prior to a scan. We only proceed with your consent. We will ensure utmost dignity and we will provide a trained female chaperone for all our scan appointments. You may prefer and have the choice not to have an internal scan, but in this case, we may not be able to confirm the results. (Early Pregnancy scan – must be attending for first scan at a minimum of 6 weeks or pregnancy or 2 weeks after first positive test. If referral to NHS is made at first scan no complimentary re scan will be offered / required)

In some very specific circumstances (e.g., recent surgery, vaginal infections etc.) an TVUS is not suitable, and will not be offered.

• Family members/friends are more than welcome to join your appointment. You can bring 3 guests with you (in total 4, including yourself) children are welcome too. However, if this is your first scan, we recommend not to bring children and a group of friends/family with you to your scan appointment.
• If you have been unwell in the last 48hr with any contagious/infectious illness (e.g. chickenpox, flu, measles, vaginal infections for transvaginal scan appointments etc) we will be unable to scan you and we will ask to notify us immediately.
• You must be an adult (18 years old or over) for all our scan appointments.
• All our Sonographers are female.

• If you require a translator, please let us know in advance prior to your appointment.

• Please bring your maternity records / recent NHS scan reports if you have them.

• On arrival you will be given a consent form which we would ask you kindly to read thoroughly, complete and sign. A printable version is available on our webpage should you require sight, we are happy to assist you.
• At the point of scanning, our Sonographer will run through some final checks and may ask some additional questions relating to your pregnancy and health history and the reason for your appointment. This is necessary, to clarify which scan you require and if the scan is suitable for you. For confidentiality purposes we will ask these questions in the treatment room and discuss these in private.

• We will always explain clear the scan procedure and obtain your consent. You have always the right to decline your consent during the scan and we will stop the scan procedure.
• Please be advised we only scan you for long enough to achieve the purpose of your appointment. Our aim is to protect both the baby and you and follow all the medical /ultrasound scanning guidelines. 
• We will ensure utmost dignity and we will provide a trained female chaperone if required.
• During the scanning process the Sonographer will guide you both verbally and visually and will provide you with information about your baby’s and/or yourselves well-being.
• All our well-being checks include confirmation of single or multiple pregnancies; heartbeat; placenta position; the amount of amniotic fluid; a general well-being check of baby’s organs; a check of your ovaries and your cervix etc. 
• After the initial general well-being check has been completed, we will progress with any selected additional gender confirmation or 4d scan imaging.
• If the sonographer recommends seeing your NHS care provider for ongoing further checks, please provide your report to your healthcare provider. It is your responsibility to ensure to consult your NHS care provider without any delay. (Please see our T&C’s for additional details) We have a robust referral pathway and follow medical guidelines. We will assist you during the referral procedure to keep you safe and will offer the best quality of care.

We will provide you with images of your baby and a report in case of referral.

We will offer free-of-charge rebook appointments for gender scan packages if we can’t confirm the gender of your baby, due to position. 4/5d scan packages, if we can’t obtain any clear images due to baby’s position, you have the choice either to rebook for free of charge or to downgrade your scan package to the growth scan package.

Our Team can’t wait to meet/reassure you. Thank you for choosing our clinic & trusting us.

Clinic Manager

Sabi