The UK has many “failures in the diagnosis of serious medical issues during private baby scans”, a BBC investigation said. The UK has over 200 studios that sell ultrasound scans. This number runs in thousands every year. According to the BBC investigation, many women are not being told about the seriousness of their conditions and abnormalities. Despite citing this as a “growing concern”, the Care Quality Commission believed that there is good quality care in the industry.
The private baby scanning studios provide packages like a “reassurance scan” to expecting mothers and have become a part of the gender reveal party of babies in the contemporary pop culture. The investigation included stories of mothers whose babies didn’t have a head, or cases where the babies had limited chances of survival. Some of those staffers weren’t even registered with the Health Care Professions Council. Some of these studios do not diagnose problems but only detect a heartbeat for gender reveal parties. Many studios term this scan as “recreational” rather than reassuring. In a statement, the government said: "We are committed to appropriate regulations for all health and care professions so patients can feel confident their care has been placed in safe and qualified hands."
