Very disappointed with Kensington Wing's service...hope its better on the day!

[Billy11]

Just a rant...sorry bout this ladies...

And for any ladies havin had their babies there...please put my mind to rest if you can ........
I was worried i wouldnt be able to arrive on time for my c section as the olympic roadrace will occur roadclosures and really bad traffic on the day between richmond and the hospital.
I asked the hosptial if i could come in the night before to avoid me being late or stuck on the road! This was three weeks ago. The lady on the phone sounded promising saying we will sort something out
They promised to get back to me ASAP.
Never heard from them so called them today to ask...
Was very abruptly told that coming in a day early will incur cost of 950 pounds so I should leave extra early on the day but if I arrive earlier than my time which is ten in the morning there wont be a room for me to go in in to till ten! So will have to wait in the waitin room.

So I decided to change the date to a day before ...which was possible last time I called but now they are fully booked as it was three weeks ago????
But they had me waiting all this time saying they will sort something out?
And now I am stuck with this date because they kept me waiting all this time?

I really hope on the day it's all much better.
It seems they are running a commercial circus with no respects to peoples time frames?

I have called with a question in the past and they have actually NEVER called me back with regards to anything...I am always having to chase them..

I ended up paying a deposit without ever gettin a tour of the hospital as the 9 times I called over 8 weeks to ask for one they said we are busy and won't be able to show you around this week....then my 28 days to pay the deposit was almost up....
I hope I have made the rite decision for havin bubba there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I heard so much about this hospital bein great???

Sorry ..I am just gettin very nervous...we are paying a bomb to secure a place in this hosptial and i am gettin the feeling it's all just about money for them and not much about care?

If it's any consolation the point of care is excellent - I was incredibly well looked after when I had my baby there last year. They couldn't do enough for me really (sick baby in NICU) and the place was sparkling clean, well-staffed, super efficient, friendly, helpful midwives. All the things you want really. You will be well looked after.

This is annoying bureaucracy, which is very frustrating and not what you need when you're pregnant, hormonal and just wanting everything sorted. My advice would be to call them back and either get the contact email/phone number for the person in charge of the Kensington Wing booking system OR ask to come in and meet them and discuss your options. It sounds as if you can come in the night before but you have to pay £950 for it, which is a lot of money. An alternative option (and a fraction of the price) is to stay in a Fulham hotel the night before (there's a big one by Chelsea football club which is literally a five minute walk away/1 min taxi ride). It's still having to pay but it's a lot cheaper. The Kensington wing are always going to charge you for the extra night as they're a private wing. Also, rooms get booked up on the day too as a lot of people who have their babies on the NHS side opt for postnatal private care. This is allocated on a first-come-first-served basis depending on whether any rooms are free and obviously the private patients get priority over the rooms. So that's presumably why they want you to come in early the day before. The likelihood is that if you don't the rooms will probably get booked off.

Also, what time does the race start? Is it an option to come in much earlier or give yourself an hour in the car/plan your route beforehand? You may have to take a circuitous route but if you've factored this into your travel time it should be less stressful. It means you might get to the hospital really early but worse-case scenario you'll be watching tv in the waiting room for an hour or so. I would say have breakfast at Carluccio's but you'll probably be Nil By Mouth if you're having a c section so that would be pretty torturous for you. Personally, I think if you did pitch up really early they'd do their best to find a room for you very quickly.

I hope this helps and best of luck.

Thanks so much ...I really needed to heat that...the care is really what counts.
Well all hotels are booked up for the olympics and the roads will be closed from 4 am ...
There are routes open ...i dont mind if my twenty min jounrey takes two hours...but i was afraid it may be so bad i wont be able to reach like for 5 hours or more...especially if it starts rainin and accidents etc...
well i will simply come in on the day and leave at seven ... i can always pop in to my docs clinic opposite..they are really understandin...
But thanks for lettin me know about the care bein good ...cuz i was startin to feel worried thinkin im wastin my money ....but much more re assured now