Hospitals: would you go privately?

[Jecca]

It wasn't an option for me and I was in and out in half a day so I don't know if it made much difference, but if you could afford it, would you choose a private hospital? What would you advise your best friend to do???

But I had one at Farnborough and the other at King's. Both in wards that were shortly pulled down!

I wouldn't use a private hospital, unless it was a wing of a normal hospital. Anywhere than can perform sections but doesn't have an NICU etc is just a bad idea. (My DS1 was born by elective section, but ended up in NICU for 24 hours. He was ok, but still ...)

I'd have a private midwife. Well, I did actually. Or there's a private birthing centre in South London that's right next to an NHS hospital ...

I have no problems with NHS hospitals, but if i had the opportunity to have my baby at the Portland, damn right i would take it!

The Portland has been criticised over two deaths due to poor care. Wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. St John and Lizzie's has a very good reputation so if I had the money, might think about that.

Think Rodney Ledward, the infamous gynaecologist who butchered women, worked privately at the Portland.

Private care is now regulated, but still not to the same standards as the NHS.

Hi Jecca,

We were due to have dd at the Royal Free this Summer. We had received only NHS care till a week or so before her premature birth at 36 weeks then went private, with a consultant at the Royal Free, and had a c-section performed by him at the Portland. The decision was very much affected by the fact dw had BUPA insurance cover for her medically-required c-s.

A number of friends of ours have just had babies at the Royal Free too, including one five week prem. General consensus: Labour care is fine. Postanatal ward not very nice.

(I have also repeatedly heard 'do NOT go there' stories several times, so YMMV).

We tasted the labour ward and postanatal experience several times when my dw was admitted overnight. Doctors not really experienced enough to make the call on DW's treatment nor 'follow through' with a management strategy, low midwife:patient numbers and frequently exasperated patients. Simply not enough hands to go round IMHO / IME.

FWIW, the move to a private consultant was right for us. We had a 24 hour bleep (which I used), access to his secretary for comms, he held private clinics at the Royal Free etc. But make no mistake: this kind of care is v. expensive (you pay for all visits, all scans, all bloods - aside from delivery / anaethetist / hopital charges). BTW, Our NHS care at the Royal Free had been excellent and I never felt dw wasn't scanned, or her blood tested etc. because of attempts at cost-cutting.

(However, when it comes to the crunch, IMO the NHS sonographer missed dd's declining growth and the doctors we kept seeing (all part of the named obstetricians team) simply didn't take a 'bird's eye view' of our situation... it was too 'try this and we'll see tomorrow / in two days' type of thing).

FWIW, we found the care at the Portand to be impeccable. DW was on close obs for 12 (or was it 24 ?) hours after the birth - this was one to one care with contant obs / fluids / bp checks / drugs admin (to alleviate - or catch- any risk of blood pressure / pph post-op complications - she had bp issues... this was requested by the consultant, I don't know if this is standard treatment). Staff handover was professional. Staff tended to be VERY experienced (5 - 15 years nursing experience was typical, both in private sector and NHS). They were pleasant and didn't seem too stressed like the NHS mws we'd met. DW was there for six nights, I stayed for five of them. The room and service etc. were all amazing.

Our experience also took in the Portland's NICU and SCBU units - dd was 4lbs 4oz (IUGR). I was pleased with the care here too. I had good access to the paediatrician, ward sister, ward nurses etc. Record keeping (both for dw and dd) was perfect. (Only mention this as at the Royal Free obs were so often late / skipped etc.)

I agree with prior sentiment that serious emergency complications (which of course you won't know about before IYSWIM) are perhaps best dealt with within the NHS, and one might then conclude that this is the best way to go, full stop.... however, we could not, of course, be assured a consultant surgeon within the NHS, nor did I feel 100% sure that the postnatal care would be satisfactory....

Anyway, I'm waffling. I've posted the consultant's name before, and have posted lots of stuff close to the birth, so if you / your friend feels like it, there's stuff in the archives or you can CAT me.

PS - with ref to deaths at the Portland, I believe they have cleaned up their act significantly since these occured several years ago (I'm not trying to excuse poor care then), and let's face it, maternal and neonatal death / serious failiure in care also occurs within the NHS, as I have discovered, to my sadness, several times in the last year or so on MN.

If I could afford it, absolutely.

I wouldn't. But I would spend the money on an independent midwife and opt for a home birth, these days - four years ago I was of a very different opinion (although I would have opted for NHS hospital care then)!

expat, my sentiments exactly.

Both Aloha and PPH had the option, for different reasons, to opt for private hospitals and didn't. They're pretty well informed.

I also had the option to go private but decided to stay in the NHS on a gut feel .. I didn't regret it (apart from the aftercare of course but its only a few days)

Not childbirth but recently we had a choice: get dd seen at an nhs hospital in 2 months time or see the same doctor at the Portland the next week. We went to the Portland and it was fab. I think the main difference was the attitude of everyone there. We were customers not a burden. So generally speaking I would definately go private if possible. Saying that, I went to a brilliant nhs hospital to have my kids but I chose very carefully and went to a cottage hospital in a different Trust area.

We have private medical cover through DH's work now. I work for the NHS and am against private in theory. However, I've been referred to a neurologist recently for something (I'm terrified, truth be told) and I can be see and treated quicker through private care.

It makes me mad that this 2 tier systems exists though, and I'm only being treated more favourably because DH has this perk at work. Proper funding and better management in the NHS would be my preference.

I agree paolosgirl. We have private healthcare through dh's work too and I'm very glad it was there when we needed it but I wish that the NHS could provide the same level of service and quite frankly I don't see why it doesn't. The staff in general seem nice and competent but there seems to be this sluggishness and inefficiency that lets it all down.
Hope your treatment goes ok...

I've always been happy with NHS care and so far have seen no reason to go private.

However, if one of the children was really poorly and I thought that going private would make a difference to them in some way, then I'm afraid I would. I'd do whatever I had to when it came to my children.

I wouldand didbut only because it was the private wing of an NHS teaching hospital and only because dh's extremely good insurance covered every penny. I was getting NHS care, NHS emergency back-up BUT ALSO more attention, good food, a private room, and a very able consultant. Not that everything was perfect, though: there were still NHS-style problems, like a lack of beds. . .in fact, there was a right panic when I arrived in the wards ready to start pushing! They wheeled me on an office desk-chair to an unused part of the ward that was under renovation!

I guess my big fear is lack of back-up. . .be that at the Portland, or John & Lizzies (my poor friend hemorrhaged and her midwife there shouted, "Call 999!!!") or even at home. I think you just have to weigh in what it is you value the most and fear the most. And that's going to be different for everybody.

My friend is a ward sister at a large london hospital. They had a young child in, who was private at the expense of some middle eastern embassy. Anyway, he was having antibiotics, taken in tablet form and was taking them quite happily, the consultant asked my friend to give them via an injection (which costs 5 times as much). She questioned him, after all he was taking them in tablet form very well, and the consultant replied that he may as well have them via an injection, after all he was private. My friend was most concerned at this, because the consultant insisted on this, this could well push the treatment cost too high and stop another sick child getting treatment funded by the embassy. Makes you think....

Thanks, everybody (only just back on line), especially hub2dee for all your comments. Looks like my friend's opting for John & Lizzie's, which apart from the 999 story seems to have had pretty good feedback... and maybe they'll even give visitors a cup of tea!!

I had NHS care (in RLH) for my first birth. For second had to have medically necessary c-section, which was covered on my work insurance. I opted to have my ante-natal care on NHS because if something had gone wrong requiring birth pre 36 weeks I wanted to be somewhere with full SCBU. I also found that once there is a serious problem with your pregnancy you can get the dedicated care on NHS -I saw the same midwife once a week, had consultant appointments with a consultant rather than a succession of unknowledgeable SHO's and wasn't kept waiting unnecessarily because I was seen in a small, focussed unit.

But I did opt for a private c-section (with the same consultant) at J&L's which was wonderful. I feel I recovered far better than with my first birth because of the incredibly better, more restful post birth environment and care.

John & Lizzies is a very good birth unit I had both my children there and even though DS was not well when he was born the backup was all in place with all the specialists they needed. They have some excellent midwives with most of them having had many years NHS experience. it is a lovely place to have a baby and your friend should enjoy it if she goes there.

had my daughter at john and lizzies and my son in an out of london NHS hospital. Much preferred the private experience, however I appreciate it is luck of the birth and I think in a crisis the NHS does sound the safer option. However as far as tlc goes I would return to John adn Lizzies in a shot (if we could afford it and if I was unfortunate enough to get pregnant again..)

I would think it wise only to go private for minor things, or if you can get a bed in a private wing of an NHS hospital like the Lindo wing of St Mary's in London. Having said that I paid for a side room after giving birth to dd2 just to get some peace

When I had placenta previa my consultant actually warned me off going to the Portland,because of the lack of intensive care facilities. However, having experienced the utter crapness of the NHS I have changed my previous position and yes, if you are having a 'normal' birth think it is an excellent idea to go somewhere where there are some midwives not recruited from Syrian torture chambers and who give a stuff whether you live or die. Ie, not Kings.

for childbirth I wouldn't go for a private hospital but (having had bad time on nhs) would (and did) opt for a private midwife

Nope, I'd stay at home where my darling hubby would take much better care of me than anyone else could.

We paid for a private room in NHS hospital as postnatal ward was just horrendous.