On November 3, 2025, the Society of Radiographers (SoR) sounded an urgent alarm about the growing number of high-street clinics across the UK offering baby scans performed by individuals lacking proper qualifications. Their warning, echoed by leading radiographers and reported by multiple outlets including BBC and Sky News, centers on the very real risks posed to mothers and babies when unqualified non-specialists conduct ultrasounds—a practice that, shockingly, remains legal under current regulations.
The problem, as the SoR sees it, is rooted in a loophole: anyone with an ultrasound machine can label themselves a "sonographer," even without accredited training or medical background. That means pop-up clinics in shopping centers and high streets can sell souvenir images, gender-reveal scans, or early reassurance checks—sometimes as early as six weeks into pregnancy—without the oversight or expertise required to ensure safety. The consequences, according to the SoR and a chorus of radiography professionals, have already been dire.
"One time, we had a lady referred [to hospital] from a private clinic, who was eight or nine weeks pregnant. The sonographer at the private clinic said there was no heartbeat and that the baby was very, very malformed, and they sent her in for an induced miscarriage. We started scanning the lady, who was in tears, and on the scan there was a clearly beautiful nine-week pregnancy with a heartbeat. It was absolutely fine," recounted Elaine Brooks, Midlands regional officer at the SoR, in a statement reported by BBC and Sky News. Brooks went on to explain that what the private sonographer had measured was a blood clot next to the pregnancy, not the fetus itself. Had the hospital followed the private clinic's recommendation for medication, the healthy baby would likely have been lost.
This is far from an isolated case. The SoR and its members have catalogued a disturbing array of misdiagnoses and missed emergencies linked to unqualified operators. Among these: blood clots mistaken for malformed fetuses, leading to unnecessary advice for miscarriage; ectopic pregnancies overlooked, putting mothers' lives at risk; and major fetal abnormalities—such as spina bifida, polycystic kidneys, or fluid-filled ventricles in the head—going undetected until the much later NHS scans at 12 or 20 weeks. In one particularly tragic instance, a late-term private scan failed to note that a baby was breech; the lack of immediate referral to the NHS resulted in the baby's death.
Gill Harrison, the SoR's professional officer for ultrasound, highlighted the hidden dangers for patients: "Patients often don't know who's conducting their scan. Many are appalled when they realise that someone with no qualifications, or who has been struck off a professional register, can still perform their ultrasound scan." The SoR even cited cases where individuals banned from working in NHS hospitals due to misconduct—including sexual misconduct—simply found employment at private clinics, continuing to operate with impunity.
According to BBC, a 2020 investigation had already uncovered similar failures in private clinics, where women experiencing bleeding or pain were given scans instead of being directed to their doctors. The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which oversees independent clinics in England, has acknowledged that while many clinics deliver good care, concerns remain about staff training, consent policies, and the procedures for escalating unusual findings. Where inspectors have identified problems, the CQC has pledged to "hold providers to account and make clear that action is required to ensure staff are adequately trained."
Despite these risks, the current regulatory landscape is patchy at best. While professions like dietician, podiatrist, art therapist, and radiographer are protected titles—meaning only those with recognized qualifications and registration can use them—the title "sonographer" is not. Many private operators are indeed qualified midwives or radiographers, and accredited training courses exist, but there is no legal obligation to possess such credentials in order to practice. As a result, the onus falls on expectant mothers to vet clinics themselves, asking about staff qualifications, regulatory registration, and inspection histories—hardly a burden most would expect when seeking what should be a routine medical service.
Katie Thompson, president of the SoR and a hospital sonographer, summed up the public misconception: "When people go for a scan or any kind of diagnostic test, they assume that the person they're going to see is qualified to do it. They don't realise that anybody can buy a machine and call themselves a sonographer. With registration, no one would be able to call themselves a sonographer unless they were on that register. If there was a problem or a complaint, the patient would be able to refer them to their regulatory body."
The SoR is now campaigning for "sonographer" to become a protected job title in the UK, just like those other allied health professions. Such a move would mean only properly trained and registered individuals could legally describe themselves as sonographers, closing the loophole that currently endangers patients. The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care has already written to the government, warning that "the risks appear sufficiently high" to warrant stronger regulation.
In response to the mounting concerns, the Department of Health and Social Care issued a statement on November 3, 2025, emphasizing that "the safety of patients is paramount and the regulation of all healthcare professionals is kept under review." The department added: "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. We will carefully consider any proposals from professional bodies regarding this."
For now, the advice from the SoR and regulatory bodies is clear: expectant mothers seeking private scans should do their homework. Thompson recommends asking clinics if their staff have completed courses accredited by the Consortium of Sonographic Education (CASE), checking reviews and recommendations, and verifying registration with the Care Quality Commission. Patients can also search the voluntary Register of Clinical Technologists to see if a practitioner meets certain standards, though participation is not mandatory.
As the number of high-street and pop-up clinics continues to rise, the debate over regulation shows no sign of abating. For many in the medical community, the stakes are simply too high to leave to chance. The push to protect the title of sonographer, advocates argue, is not just a matter of professional pride—it is a matter of life and death, and of restoring public trust in a service that touches some of the most vulnerable moments in family life.
