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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Going part private an option?

25 replies

expatmum89 · 28/07/2015 20:49

Hi all
I am just trying to work my mind around the birthing options here. From what I understand you can either go via NHS or go privately . I would be covered to go private however the 'gap' is still quite a lot of money.
Since I have to have a c-sec for me the most important factor is being able to choose my consultant and know who will be operating on me etc!
Is it possible to just go with a private consultant however give birth 'publicly' and have NHS aftercare (for example pay for a consultant and give birth in St Mary's as opposed to Lindo wing for arguments sake) etc to keep the costs down. So I would be seeing the consultant throughout the pregnancy but delivering in a public hospital. Is this an option has anyone done it before ?
Happy to hear all advice !
Many thanks !

OP posts:

Nolim · 28/07/2015 20:53

Watching with interest

LibrariesGaveUsPower · 28/07/2015 21:08

So you want to bring a private consultant onto an NHS ward for an NHS delivery? I am happy to be corrected, but I don't think it works like that.

Original poster

expatmum89 · 28/07/2015 21:13

appreciate your answer :) im not from here so it's all new to me! That's how I had my previous births in my home country so wondering if it was an option here but I know every country works differently :)

OP posts:

LibrariesGaveUsPower · 28/07/2015 21:16

I am not an expert. I just have only ever heard of private consultants on private wards. Others may know better.

I assume you are near or can get to London ?

Stylingwax · 28/07/2015 21:17

You can mix some stuff. So I'm having a private midwife during labour on an NHS ward but that's because the hospital offers it. I don't think you can mix and match in theatre though.

ScottishDiblet · 28/07/2015 21:19

Hello, congratulations on your pregnancy. Hmmm I don't know if you can do that. I did it the other way around though - all appointments and delivery on NHS (St Thomas in London) and then transferred up to the private floor when I had to have an extended stay. It was bliss. I think transferring to NHS post c-section might be quite difficult in terms of logistics but also the private room post birth is so much nicer than the public wars (in St Thomas anyway) but that's not to say it can't be done - I hope someone else can advise. Best of luck.

Swindon25 · 28/07/2015 21:50

Yes. It is possible. I have done this with 2 of my 3 births. I had a consultant who works at the Portland and also at a London NHS hospital. I had 2 c sections in the NHS hospital. I paid the consultant his fee. Then a small fee for an NHS private room. All my before and after care was in the NHS hospital, but with the consultant... So I could choose my appointment times and didn't have to wait in the waiting rooms etc. and after the births the nurses gave me extra attention as I was a private patient. My 3rd child needed to go to to special care, so I think it was probably a good thing I was in an NHS hospital... (But maybe the private hospitals are just as good in these scenarios?) Nut on the other hand I think I would go to the Portland for everything for number 4, if I could afford it. My first birth was at home with a private midwife... I wouldn't recommend that to anyone!

Original poster

expatmum89 · 28/07/2015 22:06

Thank you for all your replies and its good to know the option exists here.
Swindon do you mind if I ask why you would go fully private next time as opposed to part ? Was it a good experience going part private ? Or was the after care not great ? sorry for all the questions! Just trying to make an educated choice what I should do :)

OP posts:

LibrariesGaveUsPower · 28/07/2015 22:21

Swindon - If you don't mind me asking, why did you get extra attention as a private patient on post natal if you weren't a private patient at that point (because you'd basically just hired theatre)? Great for you, but it seems wrong that you'd get more attention than another patient who also wasn't paying for post natal care?

Swindon25 · 28/07/2015 22:32

I think... With it being my 4th I would just love it to be a lovely experience. The aftercare was mostly good at the NHS hospitals. But a few things happened that I'm still really pissed off about. Eg they gave my little baby a lumber puncture without my permission...I just don't know though... It's really hard to recommend any way as every birth is so different. Personally I would forego a few holidays and pay for the hospital if the consultant s fees will be covered by your insurance. My friends who have used the Portland have loved it. I definitely didn't love my experiences ... I just somehow got through it.

Swindon25 · 28/07/2015 22:37

Libraries- I know... But the consultants have such power. So if they tell the nurses to look after you they do. If I was worried about anything I just texted the consultant and he called the nurses desk and the next thing they were helping me.

Swindon25 · 28/07/2015 22:40

Also, because buby was in scbu I didn't want to leave the hospital so I stayed for 8 nights in the private room even though there was nothing wrong with me. The consultant sorted that all out.

eurochick · 28/07/2015 22:43

I had midwife care all the way through (private but could have been NHS). Things started to get complicated near the end and a c section looked likely. I'm terrified of hospitals and it was important to me to meet who would be operating on me. The NHS couldn't offer me that so I had a private consultant. I was in an NHS hospital (st Thomas') but in the private wing. I'm not sure if I could have been on an NHS ward if I had wanted to be - I didn't and do never asked!

You can also cut the cost by having NHS antenatal care and then just the birth privately.

Nolim · 29/07/2015 06:22

Hi expatmum. Fellow expat mum here

For my previous pregnancy i used the nhs and the antenatal care was fine. I had a simpe pregnancy. If i had a simple delivery i guess that it would have been ok, but it was not. One frustrating thing is that when i was admited i would see a diferent consultant every shift and everyone had a different opinion regarding induction. The worst was one who just said "we are inducing tomorrow" "erm, that is not what the previous 3 consultant have said" " it doesnt matter what they said. I make the desicions here", i was , i mean, doesnt the patient take part in the decidion process?

As swindon said i would rather skip holidays that putting my babies wellbeing in the hands of someone who doesnt give me any reasons to be trusted.

That being said, the nhs has been good regarding my dc, like rashes, fever, etc. the usual kids stuff.

Whipnaenae · 29/07/2015 06:33

Swindon's post has made me very very angry.

Koalafications · 29/07/2015 06:40

Personally I would forego a few holidays and pay for the hospital

ribbitTheFrog · 29/07/2015 08:05

For all the expats slating the nhs - put,your money where your mouth is then and pay privately, the nhs could do without further costs anyway.

Nolim · 29/07/2015 08:13

Ribbit do you know that workers pay national insurance contributions despite of their country of origin? So if i pay national insurance and have the legal right to use the nhs why shouldnt i?

Original poster

expatmum89 · 29/07/2015 09:02

Hi , I wasnt putting down nhs in the slightest I think it's fantastic I was just looking into all my options that's all :)

OP posts:

MrsHooolie · 30/07/2015 00:44

My baby was also in SCBU for a week and I too was kept on the post natal ward even though there was nothing wrong with me

eurochick · 30/07/2015 18:06

My baby was in NICU for three weeks. I was a private patient paying about a grand per night to stay on the ward. I was discharged after 36 hours! I was quite happy with that even though going back and forth to the hospital was expensive (we needed taxis as my husband doesn't drive and I had had a section) and uncomfortable. I really don't see why a mother needs to stay in the hospital if she doesn't need medical care herself.

daluze · 30/07/2015 20:57

eurochick, my baby was in NICU, and we stayed in hospital's amenity room for nearly 2 weeks (we thought we'd need to pay, but hospital decided we did not need). I cannot imagine being anywhere else. I was expressing every 3 hours, which would take about an hour, then taking milk to NICU, spending ~10 min with my son, going back to our room on a different floor, trying to eat and sleep for an hour until next expressing. It was exhausting, after the long labour and EMCS, but absolutely worth it. It would not be possible to do it from home!

Mummymidwife87 · 31/07/2015 20:23

It is possible. Many trusts have NHS consultants who do private work as well. so you see them throughout your pregnancy, they do your section then you go to the normal postnatal ward and cared for by NHS midwives. Discharged home and seen by NHS community midwives

Mummymidwife87 · 31/07/2015 20:29

But I will say, don't expect any special treatment on postnatal ward or in community, as its NHS not private. You will be cared for and provided the same care as everyone else on the ward and at home.

SockQueen · 31/07/2015 23:35

Ditto, Whipnaenae. The nurses and midwives don't (in most cases) get paid extra for caring for a private patient, nor are there extra staff allocated for them. So every time a PP gets their consultant to throw their weight around, they're taking care away from other women who might need it. But oooh, we mustn't upset the PPs...

If you want more nursing attention, pay for it.

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