Private obs now telling me to go NHS?

[Bells3032]

I was planning to go privately from 32 weeks due to a few health issues i felt NHS swept under the rug a bit. Two weeks ago i was diagnosed with Gestational diabetes and poss pre-existing type 2.

We did discuss staying with NHS for continous of care but decided we still wanted the private care as baby due in january when covid likely to be at the worst and the NICU at the hospital the private wing is attached to is far superior to the one at my local hospital. Since I'm more likely to need a c-section I would like to pick the doctor that does it and not risk a student doctor etc doing it. The private doctor also has GD listed in her specialties.

I emailed the private doctor to ask for a consultation to discuss what additional measures would be put in place etc. The secretary told me that due to the extra complications i should deliver NHS and just book a couple of consults with the private doc (which i see as pointless as it was mainly the delivery I wanted privately as i am getting appts every other week anyway).

Has anyone else planned to go privately with GD and experienced this?

I don't know where you are, but many private facilities are not equipped to deal with more complex cases. If the consultant has said this to you, then they believe it to be the best (and safest) option for you and your baby.

Also, some private units shut during previous covid peaks. Perhaps the consultant is expecting the same again?

Agree with PP, if the Consultant is telling you to go with the NHS they must believe that this is the safest option for you and the baby.

Hi OP if you transfer to the NHS you will be under consultant led care and a diabetes specialist midwife.
You will receive more antenatal appts and scans to ensure fetal wellbeing.
If you require a caesarean section this would normally be undertaken by a Registrar or consultant not a student doctor.
Goodluck with everything whatever your decision.

The NHS is pretty good at keeping you safe in very complex situations and generally has more senior staff available eg at nights, than a private place.

Didn’t you post about this the other day and everyone commented that in the circumstances you should go NHS not private?

There are services you can't get privately in this country or can be limited by where your are. We've just transferred from private to NHS care for my dd as the services just don't exist in the private sector.

If the consultant you contacted thinks you'd be better off in the NHS, then I would take that to be the best option.

Couple that with, as pp said, many private facilities were used for covid during previous peaks, that may happen again or staff redeployed.

If you really feel unsure, book those appointments with the private doctor and discuss your concerns. At the very least they can explain why the NHS would be better.

I would normally say private but if the consultant says NHS I would seriously consider it but absolutely think about a private room. The ante natal wards are hell.

People who experience complications will often need to be transferred to NHS as private hospitals rarely have 24 hr consultant cover or ICU

If patients at private hospitals get really sick, they call 999 and have them transferred to the NHS hospital. Alternatively, the private doctor calls their NHS colleague and says 'we've got a sick patient...'

Private care is great for routine elective treatment. Not so much complicated, sick patients.

GD is a complication that needs NHS facilities.

OP, which hospital/unit is it?

It sounds like it will either be Lindo, Kensington or Westminster from your description?

The NHS obstetricians will be more than well versed in dealing with gestational diabetes, plus if you deliver in an NHS hospital, if you need ongoing diabetic input post delivery, there will be endocrinologists who will see you too.

A planned c-section in the NHS is likely to be consultant led and delivered (e.g they will be the ones operating). It’s emergency sections out of normal hours that usually have a registrar doing the procedure.

I had to use the NICU facility of my district general NHS trust and it was amazing, really fantastic care.

And because I work in the place that is seeing so many unvaccinated pregnant women being admitted with severe covid-19 and having to deliver their babies prematurely, if you haven’t already, please consider the covid vaccine. That will protect more greatly than where you deliver the baby.