Kingston Hospital Private Maternity Care

[DarlingClem]

I am currently trying to decide between Chelsea Westminster's Kensington Wing or Kingston Hospital's BMI Coombe Wing for my private maternity care. Both are fairly convenient for me to access from where we live in SW London but as we are fairly easy access to the A380 Kingston Hospital and it's parking are pretty appealing! I was wondering what their private wing is like for maternity care as it seems fairly small and only two doctors to choose from? Would love to hear of anybody's experiences!

Does it have access to top notch neonatal care? If both hospitals do that's great but if only one then I would pick the one that did, just in case.

Kingston's website says they have a level 2 neonatal unit

I've no idea about Chelsea but at kingston your labour care will be given on the labour ward, not coombe wing. You transfer to coombe wing after you've had the baby and even then it may be you have to stay a night on the PN ward. Your obstetrician will attend your labour but on the NHS labour ward.

Really?! Is it at least a private room you birth in? I assume the Kensington Wing is similar to the Lindo Wing (where I had DS) in that I am in a private birthing suite and then moved to a private room. Seems a bit ridiculous to be spending the so much money and then not actually be gauranteed privacy.

bless you, yes, all UK hospitals have private birthing rooms. The extras you seem to get with private obstetric care at Kingston are all your appointments with your named obstetrician, opportunities for lots of extra scans and blood tests if you want them, obstetrician in attendance at your labour (but midwife will be just whoever is on the labour ward that shift), epidural sited by a consultant if you have one, food comes down from coombe wing and then get to go to coombe wing afterwards. If you need induction or admittance to the antenatal ward then that too is the NHS ward and although you might get a private room there you also might not. If you stay on the PN ward after you will have a private room on the NHS ward.

I'm using private there in the sense that you will be the only woman delivering in your delivery room, not private as in non-NHS.

Sorry, I'm just a bit confused by your two responses as you say all UK hospitals have private birthing suites but then say your choosing private in the sense that you'll be the only woman delivering in your room?...

Granted I haven't had a baby through the NHS but my last experience in the Lindo wing was a very quiet and private room to give birth in (meaning the Lindo Wing's labor ward was very quiet and 'calm') had my own bathroom to have a shower in, the same midwife attending throughout my birth, etc. I assume the Kensington Wing is fairly similar but maybe Kingston won't be?

If kingston is close to you, have you look at st helier hospital in Surrey. It has a very large private maternity centre private delivery suites within the private ward and full neonatal intensive care.

You have your own room at St Helier with en suite bathroom etc same midwife for delivery as you have for antenatal care and the obstetrician present for the actually delivery.

Sorry, what I mean to say is there is no non-NHS delivery area at Kingston hospital. The delivery rooms are all private en suite and you use these rioms for delivery whether you are an NHS patient or a private patent.

INeedHelp, I can't seem to find anything about private maternity care at St Heliers? I found info for their birthing centre if that is what you mean? I think it would probably end up being too far but also I probably would not qualify for mid-wife led birthing centre as I have had a stillbirth before.

Granted I haven't had a baby through the NHS but my last experience in the Lindo wing was a very quiet and private room to give birth in (meaning the Lindo Wing's labor ward was very quiet and 'calm') had my own bathroom to have a shower in, the same midwife attending throughout my birth, etc.

Every woman admitted to any NHS hospital gets a private (as in just for her) room to give birth in. NHS Labour & Delivery wards are generally a corridor off which are lots of individual rooms in which women are labouring. How quiet it is depends on how loud the women in neighbouring rooms are!

Your delivery room in an NHS hospital can be quiet, calm and dark if that's how you request it (I recall having to be woken from a comfy slumber in my quiet, dark room to be told it was time to start pushing when I had DC2).

I've always had my own bathroom with bath/shower/toilet/sink in NHS delivery suits.

If you manage to labour and deliver all within one shift change, then you are likely to have the same midwife in NHS. Like you get a 'named nurse' on general wards, you get a 'named midwife' in delivery suite. But if you labour through a shift change then you get introduced to your new midwife, taking over the shift from the previous one.

Given that I have long labours and have several times spent over 24 hours in delivery suite - I would assume it impossible to have the same midwife throughout, private or NHS. Surely that would be highly unsafe due to the lack of sleep?

So all-in-all - I have had four children in NHS Nottingham City Hospital in and have not had all that different experience to private healthcare, it would seem. Good old National Health Service

Thanks for your opinion FateDestiny...But in all honesty I am not looking for experiences through the NHS, I am going private regardless due to my previous history of losses and wanting continuity of care with my chosen obstetrician. We also have private maternity cover through our international insurance provider. I am perfectly aware that some people have great experiences with the NHS, but I also have heard some horrible stories and due to my history, I am going to do what I feel necessary to keep my anxiety at bay.

If we could go back to this thread being about experiences with Kingston Hospital's private wing that would be fab.

St Heliers have an actually private maternity wing, its not midwife led. All antenatal appointments are with a consultant obstetrician and midwife present. My antenatal part is done at St Anthony's hospital in Cheam Surrey which is a totally private hospital then the birth is at St Heliers private maternity Ward. It might be worth giving St Anthonys a ring they'll be able to advise you better. I have to say i can't fault my care i have recieved from them.

Oh...

I wrongly assumed that when you asked "you say all UK hospitals have private birthing suites but then say your choosing private in the sense that you'll be the only woman delivering in your room?" that you might have wanted an answer.

My apologies.

As you were...

Thanks INeedHelp but I think it will end up being a bit too far, especially for my husband to try and join for some appointments with where his work is located.

Fate i dont think the OP meant it that way ....

Thanks eminado- I didn't but was just going to leave it

that these threads always end up the same way!

Clem, I have had a couple of friends go to Kingston privately; based on their views, if you are striking distance of Chelsea I would go there instead. It's a proper self-contained good sized private maternity unit which you won't get at Kingston and has full NICU (nhs) if required. My friends' children are a little older now but they were moved to the general private wing post-labour and the set up didn't sound ideal, as boysclothes has said.

Thanks thenewbroom. We've scratched Kingston off the list

Done. I'm under Kingston Hospital and very happy with the care I am receiving there.