NHS vs Private Hospital for C Section

[Mummylee]

I just relocated to London from overseas and not familiar with the medical system here. I plan to have a caesarean due to my age and fibroid condition. Is there a big difference between NHS and private care in terms of quality? I heard the private C-section and related consultant/hospital fees can cost more than £10,000 which is not covered by my private health insuarnce.

I am looking at my options. Can anyone recommend a public or private hospital, ob-gyn?

[noonar]

i paid for a private room on an nhs ward. wouldnt dream of having it privately. if any thing goes wrong...not to panic you....but my friend was in intensive care for days after hers, and had emergency follow up surgery. how many private hospitals could cope with that scenario? i may be wrong, but i'd have my concerns.

[anniediv]

I did the same as noonar, nhs hospital but paid for a room on my own (called an 'amenities bed' as I recall).

[Mummylee]

I live in Canary Wharf, what is the best NHS hospital I can choose from for C-section?

[Prufrock]

Well your standard choice will be the Royal Lonodn, and I have to say I would never ever wish a c-section there on anyone. Ante-natal outpatient care (I had a serious and rare condition) was better than excellent, but ante natal inpatient and post c-section it was apalling - didn't eat for 2 days as nobody told me I had to go to the end of the ward to get food, and I couldn't have done so even if I had known.
If you can I would recomend seeing mr aquilina - he practices at Royal Londonand also privately at the Portland and John and Lizzies. So you can have ante-natal done on NHS in case anthing is wrong, but then at the end have a nice private c-section.

[TheBlonde]

Mummylee - I would say you will see a difference in the standard of nursing care and the food. If you can afford to go private I would

Options are
Private:
St John & Elizabeth
The Portland

Private ward & care on site at an NHS hospital:
Lansdell suite at St Thomas
Lindo wing at St Marys
Chelsea & Westminster also have a private wing

[NotQuiteCockney]

Private ward seems reasonable, but i'm not sure it's worth paying that much for. I would not consider a private hospital - if you need intensive care, or your baby needs SCBU (pretty common, my DS1 needed SCBU after an elective section), you have to get in an ambulance!

[TheBlonde]

Private care within an NHS hospital is about the same price as at a private hospital

[blueshoes]

Mummylee, I too am from abroad. I have had 2 c-sections, first emergency, second elective, and found the nhs perfectly adequate, if you are prepared to go for no-frills care. I am not sure to what extent you are allowed to choose your nhs hospital because it tends to be the one referred by your GP which is local to you.

By no-frills care, I mean midwife-led (as opposed to obstetrician-led) care. You could end up seeing a different person for each antenatal visit. You have very little choice as to appointment times (but if you are working, by law you are allowed time out for antenatal appointments) and even then, be prepared to wait.

If you want pampering, then go private. But do investigate the reputation of the private hospital. I believe some of them have a higher c-section rate, and others specialise in natural birth.

But bear in mind if there are any complications in your pregnancy or your baby, a private hospital would refer you to nhs anyway. For all its bad press, my dd and I had first rate treatment from specialist nhs hospital when she had a heart condition detected in utero and a stint in special care after birth. If you need specialised treatment, only nhs will do. My brother is a doctor BTW, and he agrees.

[pupuce]

St John an Lizzie ANY DAY over the Portland.

[IlanaK]

Not to hijack, but I also need a hospital recommendation in London. I can't afford private, but had a bad experience last time around. My first was emergency section out in Essex. Second was here in London at St MAry's, also a section. Section was perfectly fine but postnatal care was so appalling (and verging on negligent) that I would never go back. I will need another section for any future baby and am at my witts end about the state of hospotals round here. Ideally, what I want is a hospital with reasonable antenatal care (I am considered higher risk) and tha ability to pay for a private room (amenity room) which was not available at St Mary's.

Any suggestions anyone???

To the original poster, if you choose private go for St Johns over the Portland. I would LOVE to have a birth there, but can't afford it.

[TheBlonde]

llana - I think you will find the standard of antenatal care fairly equal at all the major teaching hospitals in London
Amenity rooms should be available at most places but I believe are usually on a first come first served basis

C&W definitely have private rooms

Other option (more expensive) would be to transfer post section to the private ward if they have room