Recent reporting from both the BBC and The Guardian has brought renewed attention to the dangers posed by unregulated private baby scan clinics in the United Kingdom. Qualified professionals in human and veterinary imaging will be familiar with the importance of training, governance and equipment standards, but these articles highlight just how far some private operators fall short of what is clinically acceptable.

The concerns raised by the Society of Radiographers resonate strongly across the imaging professions. Yet, as Catherine Stowell, founder of Portable Ultrasound Machines (PUM), notes, the root causes extend further than many practitioners may realise and begin long before a probe touches a patient.

Misdiagnosis, Missed Abnormalities and Life-Threatening Mistakes

Both articles outline serious cases of misdiagnosis. The BBC described women being “incorrectly diagnosed with serious health conditions and given dangerous advice”, as well as examples of pregnancy loss being wrongly predicted. The Guardian echoes the same concerns, reporting that hospital specialists have seen “cases of missed health problems, misdiagnosed conditions, and situations in which women were erroneously told their babies were malformed or had died.”

One case reported by The Guardian involved a woman referred for a possible miscarriage. Katie Thompson, a hospital sonographer and president of the Society of Radiographers, explained: “When I scanned her they’d measured a bleed in the womb and they completely missed a very early pregnancy sac with a baby inside it.” She added that if the clinic had been able to offer miscarriage services, the woman might have been given medication to end a pregnancy that was actually progressing normally.

Both reports include examples of private clinics incorrectly diagnosing ectopic pregnancy, missing ectopic pregnancies entirely, or overlooking significant abnormalities that should have been identified. Elaine Brooks of the SoR told The Guardian that some women attend their NHS 20-week scan only to discover “quite a large abnormality that should have been picked up” during a private sexing scan a week or two earlier, including conditions such as spina bifida, polycystic kidneys or enlarged ventricles.

These are not minor oversights. They represent diagnostic failures with potentially life-altering consequences.

A Problem That Begins Earlier in the Chain

For qualified professionals, it can be difficult to comprehend how such severe lapses occur. But as Catherine Stowell points out, the issue does not start in the clinic. It begins before the clinic even opens its doors.

Catherine is a qualified sonographer and echocardiographer, accredited by the British Society of Echocardiography and holding an MSc. Over more than a decade supplying ultrasound equipment and providing training across human and veterinary disciplines, she has seen the pattern repeat: individuals with little or no clinical background are able to purchase ultrasound machines without any requirement to demonstrate training or competence.

She explains that she receives calls “every eight weeks” from beauty clinics hoping to buy machines to scan pregnant women as an additional income stream. She takes time to explain the risks of scanning without appropriate training, but acknowledges that those who are turned away often simply “call a company more willing to indulge them”.

Many of these operators are not acting with ill intent. Rather, they are people who have not had access to the training and educational pathways that qualified clinicians follow, and they may not appreciate the depth of knowledge required for safe ultrasound practice. This makes them vulnerable to companies selling superficial courses that offer certificates rather than competence. A desire to start a small business or offer an exciting new service can quickly turn into something dangerous when guided by persuasive suppliers instead of clinical education.

The responsibility, therefore, sits not only with operators but with those who knowingly equip unqualified individuals with medical imaging devices. As Catherine notes, some suppliers are fully aware of the risks yet “choose profit over safety”.

The Guardian reinforces this point: “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.” This lack of regulation also means individuals previously struck off for misconduct have been found working in private clinics, a situation documented by the Health and Care Professions Council.

Why High-Quality Equipment Matters

One of the clearest indicators of a responsible private clinic is the standard of ultrasound equipment it uses. Clinics that take clinical governance seriously should be investing in high calibre systems such as the Vinno 10 or higher. Machines of this standard reflect a genuine commitment to diagnostic accuracy and patient safety.

The Vinno 10 is an example of what responsible practice looks like in terms of equipment choice. It is a premium portable ultrasound system offering excellent image clarity, advanced automation and a broad range of clinical applications. Designed for use in both routine diagnostics and research settings, it supports high-resolution obstetric imaging, automated disease detection and sophisticated cardiac tools including speckle tracking and multi-Doppler modes. These features reduce operator variability and support accuracy, particularly in settings where subtle findings can have major clinical implications.

A clinic using equipment of this calibre signals that it values safety, accuracy and clinical integrity over novelty or commercial appeal.

PUM’s Position: Expertise First, Sales Second

PUM was created to address precisely these concerns. No other company specialises in ultrasound in quite the way PUM does. From its London base, the team now supports clinicians, veterinarians, breeders, farmers and home users around the world.

The company’s ethos is built on expertise rather than salesmanship. Customers speak directly with qualified sonographers; training is delivered by sonographers and advice is grounded in current research done by sonographers. This keeps the benchmark high and naturally attracts committed professionals rather than opportunistic operators.

By refusing to supply equipment to unqualified users, PUM contributes to protecting both patients and the reputation of the imaging professions. As Catherine’s experience shows, the supply chain plays an enormous role in the safety or danger of private scanning.

A Call for Systemic Change

The BBC and The Guardian articles together paint a clear picture: unregulated scanning is causing real harm. Misdiagnoses, missed abnormalities, inappropriate reassurance and incorrect predictions of pregnancy loss are not theoretical risks. They are happening now, and they are avoidable.

The SoR continues to call for “sonographer” to become a protected title, bringing it into line with professions such as radiographer and dietician. While regulatory change is slow, the need is clear. As a Department of Health spokesperson told The Guardian, “No parent should face the trauma of an incorrect diagnosis.”

Protecting patients requires action across the entire chain, from regulation and training to responsible equipment supply. Expectant families deserve care from qualified practitioners using clinically robust machines. Professionals across human and veterinary imaging already work to high standards. But safeguarding those standards requires continued vigilance, and it requires addressing the systemic issues that allow unsafe scanning to flourish.

Voices like Catherine Stowell’s help ensure that these conversations go beyond the clinic and reach the foundations of the industry itself.