Giving birth (privately?) in UK

[turningitaround]

Hi,
I've just discovered that I am pg with No 3. Totally unplanned and unexpected but am going with the flow. The ony thing is we live abroad and baby is due just before Xmas. Because of the issues with getting as passport we will not be able to travel from this country (where we have no relatives) back to Uk or to DH's country until around +6 weeks.
I'm thinking about giving birth in the UK (DD1 was born in DE and DD 2 in BE). Parents live near Cambridge, so I suppose it would be at the Rosie. I could probaby give birth on NHS (since I still have an NHS number, although haven't lived in UK for 15 years) but that's not really honest and would prefer to pay (have private health insurance). Does anyone know whether I can do that at an NHS hospital and whether I can just turn up? It's not my ideal scenario, but I think it would be a lot easier on the rest of the family. My last two were induced but otherwise straightforward.
Any info. from someone who knows would be much appreciated.

The only places where you can have a private delivery are in London. The Rosie has private rooms but they're not bookable and are often used for strep patients or bereaved parents. That might have changed since the recent refurb but you'd have to ask.
You qualify for nhs treatment if you're a British or eu national and if you have an nhs number. If you insurance would cover it there's nothing to stop you having your antenatal treatment privately but delivering at the Rosie on the nhs. I don't think you gain much on that though - the real benefit of private mat it's is the post natal care.

Thanks. It's less that I want private care (although that would be nice) more that I'm not really entitled to NHS care. My insurance will pay for me to give birth in UK and I would want to give birth in Cambridge (where I'm originally from) but I could never claim to reside there ...

No hospital is going to turn away someone who arrives in labour - they must have an arrangement for treating patients not entitled to free care, and then charging them - surely? As it would be if I was on holiday in USA for example, I'd need to pay or my insurance would.

You can have the standard NHS care and they'll send you an invoice. I saw this happen once to an American who was furious. I don't think anyone had told her and she got a bill while on the post natal ward. No medical insurance.
She was living here but had been here for less than 2 years so was told she'd have to pay.

Unfortunately it's true there are no private deliveries outside London, I probably need an elcs and my health insurance have agreed to cover it, but I'd have to deliver in London - not good when you live 150 miles away! The thought of travelling home puts me off even considering it.

viva that's awful (and wrong). Everyone is entitled to NHS care from the day they become resident in the UK.

You can have a private delivery at Watford General although you would need to book it on advance. Google The Knutsford Suite and you'll find all the info.

Fraktal no they are not - or not free of charge, anyway! I left the UK for 9 months, came back pregnant, and had to fill in so many forms to prove I was employed here to get my maternity care for 'free'. Had I come back unemployed, despite being a UK citizen, who had lived in the UK for 25 years before moving overseas, I would not have been entitled to any free care. Apparently, anyway!

It was the special "clobbering overseas patients financial dept" that got her and they said that she needed to be resident for two years. I'm guessing they knew what she was talking about. I felt bad for her.

I'd have challenged that under Shah v LB Barnet (1983) because they define ordinarily resident and it doesn't have a time limit. Instead IIRC it talks about purpose and continuity, and the NHS define a temporary stay as one of less than 3 months...

Obviously too late for her and not applicable to the OP but in case anyone else stumbled across it that nugget of info may help.

You can get private delivery and care in Solihull if that helps.

Google for BUPA, or one of the other big private chains. They have hospitals dotted round the country. You might be able to be seen there antenatally and take their advice about delivery location.

The best thing might be to go to your local hospital, tell them you are not currently entitled as you are ordinarily resident overseas, and leave it to them to raise the bill.

I am I a similar situation, I am going back to the UK to have my baby, but haven't worked there for many years. I do have a current NHS card, my dh and dd are British, and I am a former resident, we have bank accounts, etc...
I was told by my PILs local surgery at Xmas that I can give birth and they may or may not invoice me, depending in who I speak to??? Whatever that means. I have 2 health insurance policies, but neither of them cover maternity, ( one covers difficult births...) but if I have to pay, it is not such a big deal.

I remember when I first went to the UK about 15 years ago, and I fell down the stairs at work ( been in the country about 2 weeks) a friend took me to the hospital, I got treatment and crutches and they sent me home - no mention of a bill, or anything. I had a very strong Canadian accent at the time, so was very confused. I think stories like mine are why the NHS is in it's current state.

I am sure if you tell them you want to pay, they will happily take your money!

If you can't prove you have lived in the uk for at least 12 months you can go to the nhs ...they will simply bill you after

You could hire your own independent midwife for a homebirth and ante/post natal care.
a transfer in would be seen as an emergency, probably...