Private room in NHS hospital

[Moonstone1234]

I am asking for a male friend. I know you can buy a private room after you have given birth in a lot of hospitals and still receive NHS care.

Can you do it for normal operations too? How would you find out?

It will depend on the trust, in mine you can’t unless you are a private patient.. Maybe call them? Or ask the consultant if it’s possible.

Yes. I thought that might be the case. Thank you for responding so quickly.

Depends on trust. Fil paid for a private room as an inpatient with nhs care but the trust I work at doesn’t have that capacity.

Due to restrictions, even with a private room, the hospital may not be allowing birth partners to spend the night with the mother.

@willibald

Due to restrictions, even with a private room, the hospital may not be allowing birth partners to spend the night with the mother.

Pretty sure this question isn’t about birth partners if you read the op.

I’m a student nurse who’s done placements in 3 different trusts (all in surgical wards) and there’s never been an option to pay for your own room. Neither has there on the medical wards I’ve been on either

My NHS hospital is new and has all private rooms, with massive en-suite wet room. Fabulous.
However, from a nursing point of view, they aren’t popular.
They can be very isolating and lonely. Especially if you need to be in for a while. I e had young men down to my dept who ave iPads etc, and they say it’s so lonely.
Even though you may be on a ward and think “ crap, I ate this, other sick people”, you may find it’s a good thing. People tend to be helpful, chat, pass the time. Encourage each other and be supportive. I’m thinking of a hip & knee ward, mostly books admissions. They made friends, did their exercises together etc, told the new patients what to expect etc. Wards can be a good thing.
Hope your friend gets on ok.
Oh, I’ve never heard of being able to ‘buy’ a room on a non maternity ward. Usually they are for those who have an infection, or are dying. If he is due an op he might be better near nurses station for a bit.

Really need to preview, sorry for typos!

Most hospitals let you purchase a room, but will still prioritise it to those who need it more. It’s often used to put seriously unwell or dying patients but if that’s the case they’re quick to refund too. No harm in asking

Thank you all. I guess it depends. I saw this the other day

www.buckshealthcare.nhs.uk/For%20patients%20and%20visitors/private-rooms.htm

I suspect the older hospitals which have been added onto just don’t have the option to offer these rooms.

I did have a private room at the John Radcliffe many many years ago and paid £450 which is a shocking price but worth it for me after giving birth. It I didn’t know if it was an option for non maternity care.I think it’s the same price now years later- probably wouldn’t dare to increase it.

If they made it say £200 it might bring in some revenue but how they guaranteed my room not knowing when I was going to turn up is a mystery.

When my DM was in hospital last year for a number of weeks her ward was full of very old people there were women with dementia screaming and wandering all night. I felt very sorry for the nurses. They had a dementia ward but the Matron told me it was always full.

There was one aggressive elderly lady who was so difficult to manage they put her in a side room opposite my Mum. She pressed and pressed the call button numerous times and eventually they shut the door so you could see the light flashing but no one went in.

Realistically I am not sure what else they could have done. She eventually pulled her drip out and came out of the room and tried to push another elderly person out of her bed. I had to speak to the Matron and say that this women was too dangerous to be kept on a public ward. My Mum who is 6 stone wringing wet wouldn’t have stood a chance against this lady. They said they were looking into and the next day she had done.

Sorry, I have derailed this thread but just thinking about how single rooms are used in reality.