Sorry Spockster, on my visits to the NHS I've certainly seen the staff working hard however it just seems like there are too many patients and it's a total factory. As a patient I feel like an anonymous item to be moved along the conveyor belt. If I happen to be the wrong "size" or "shape" I will just fall off the side into the garbage and no one will be any the wiser. It's just a matter of resourcing which I doubt anyone would argue is adequate in the public sector.
Iworkthere - thanks for your input. I think I'm very good at polite (can also read that as not particularly assertive, especially in extremis) however my concern is that means I will just get left. I suspect those people who do demand get attention? When you're in labour how can you know whether you need attention or not? And how can anyone else know unless they check you out? MizZan's post sums up the problem, seemingly a similar problem in lots of cases where birth goes wrong.
In NZ I don't think it's a case that doctors earn a lot more, more that the "luxuries" - like private consultants are much less expensive relatively. I paid NZ$1,500 (about £500!) for consultant led-care - all pre-natal appointments with him and two post-natal, plus access to one of the midwives who worked in a team with him any time I wanted. I had her cellphone which she answered and she happily popped round to check the baby when I rang her on a Sunday morning!. (I had been careful not to bother her too much during the pregnancy and only rung her once.) Conversely, I've never managed to actually get through to the maternity section of my NHS hospital. The only actual person the freindly switchboard could suggest he could put me through to was Complaints!
The reason I chose to pay for a private consultant, and one which my GP friend entirely agreed, was that I imagine that hospitals (like law firms) are very hierarchical. And, from working in a large law firm I know that the partner's work always gets priority over anyone down the ladder (even if the minion's does have an earlier deadline and they are working for a different partner). So, in a hospital, if you are the consultant's work, they are able to assert their authority in your interests. Although consultants work both in public and private sector, if they are being paid to attend the birth of "their" patient it gives them a personal investment in being there. For example, a friend (in NZ) went public (against her family's (including 3 docs) advice) and ended up with an emergency cs being performed by a registrar who "got stuck" and couldn't get the baby out, then rang the on call consultant, who told her what to do over the phone, she had another go, still couldn't do it, rang again and eventually consultant turned up. Baby was eventually got out, friend nearly haemorraged (sp?) to death and suffered major post-traumatic shock. Consultant apologised, said he should have been there but registrar wasn't as experienced as he had thought and as she should have been. My friend used the same consultant privately (in the public hospital) for next two births, and can't speak highly enough of him. Hiring a consultant means you know them and and that they will be doing any cs, stitching, etc. It means you can be assured that the person doing the work is hugely experienced. Mine had delivered half of Wellington for the past 20+ years and can do a cs in 3 minutes... I think in NZ private hospitals are just for the pretty rooms, or short waiting lists in non-maternity cases.
Incidentally, I read the other day that consultants are less likely to do cs than senior-registrars - possibly bec. senior reg's will "play it safe" in order not to blot their copy book before they make it to the holy grail...