To ask the Minister of Health to identify the body with responsibility for regulating private baby scan studios operating in Northern Ireland.

Mr Swann

I thank the Member for her question. Private baby-scan studios are not included in the list of regulated establishments and agencies as set out in the Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003. However, if ultrasounds are carried out in those studios by radiographers, the radiographers are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Independent hospitals and clinics may carry out private baby scans, and those establishments are regulated by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) under the 2003 Order and the Independent Health Care Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005.

Mr Swann

I thank the Member; she has made a valid point, and her question gets to the heart of it. There is a risk that those private baby scan studios do not tell women about an abnormality or a serious condition. Pregnant women are offered at least two ultrasounds during pregnancy by health and social care staff through our systems, and that includes an anomaly scan at 18 to 20 weeks. All private scans are in addition to that. When it comes to the specific regulatory framework, RQIA's regulatory activity is determined by the 2003 legislation, which reflects departmental policy at that time. Since then, the health and social care system has changed dramatically in how we access care and in the type of care that is available. That includes the rise of services that are available on the high street and online. Statutory health and social care providers such as trusts, which run our hospitals as well as some primary care services such as GP surgeries and community pharmacies, are not regulated by the RQIA. However, the professional staff who work in those services are regulated, so that carries across with regard to my initial answer.

Ms Flynn

The Minister will be aware that the paediatric pathology service here collapsed a few years ago and is currently accessible only in Liverpool. Will the Minister explore, with the Health Minister in Dublin, the provision of an accessible paediatric pathology service on the island or an in-reach service into the North?

Mr Swann

I thank the Member for the point. She has raised the issue with me previously, and I know that she works on that area continually. We have been exploring a number of options, but the biggest challenge not only across these islands but across parts of the world is the availability of paediatric pathologists. It is an acquired skills set. There is an opening call for recruitment for our Health and Social Care service in Northern Ireland, and we have explored models with the Republic of Ireland, but the model that we operate at the minute involves being able to work with colleagues in the United Kingdom. It is not satisfactory; it does not provide the emotional support that parents often need when they lose a child. We are acutely aware of that in the Department and across the health and social care sector. We are working hard to correct that, but the availability of paediatric pathologists is the biggest challenge to us all.

Ms Bailey

Is the Minister aware of any instances of women trying to access baby scans at NHS or other premises being blocked from doing so, so they have to go to a private provider? If that is the case, what can be done in such circumstances?

Mr Swann

I am not aware of that having happened. If the Member knows of any examples, I would appreciate it if she highlighted them to my office, because the Health and Social Care system — the equivalent of the National Health Service in Northern Ireland — is available for those who need it, free at point of use and point of delivery. That is something that I stand over.