Caesarian through BUPA - is the after care much better than NHS?

[charleypops]

Hi,

I'm hoping I'll be eligible to have my cs through our BUPA cover and would like to know that the experience will be a whole lot better than my NHS cock up last time which ended up with a ventouse etc.

Has anyone here had a cs through BUPA? Was it ok?

Thank you!

I haven't but have also been looking in to this.

As I understand it I will still be in the same NHS maternity hospital as previously. The same theatre. The same staff. The difference is that post section I will be given a private room. But again the care will be the same as those on the NHS ward receive, by the same staff. I guess there may be BUPA hospitals that do maternity but not local to me. However, after my previous CS experience the most important thing to me is having private space etc to recover and sleep when I can etc not be disturbed by other babies in the night/other people's visitors in the day.

Still not sure if our BUPA cover applies though, it's a little confusing and you get a different answer depending on who you speak to. Might be irrelevant anyway as I think our cover is changing to CIGNA and I think their rules are different again.

Yes, I was told that it'd be the same staff/theatre/operation as you'd get anyway - I'd like to think though that this time as well as a private room I'd be looked after a bit better. Last time I didn't even even get fed - because I was in SCBU all the time they just kept forgetting about me - didn't get a catheter for over 24 hours, had to feed my very poorly baby (in SCBU) every four hours which took over 2 hours each time day and night so had no sleep for over a week.....

Dunno re. maternity - having your own room must make a difference, I should imagine - but generally going private doesn't guarantee better care. You get good and bad docs and nurses in both sectors.

Hopefully it will go better this time though! Good luck for safe delivery, healthy baby and for being well looked after.

I went to the Portland courtesy of Bupa International. was looked after really really well after CS. well worth the fees.

I had my own room on an NHS ward by complete fluke - the normal ward was full. I have to be brutally honest, I would NEVER have paid for it! If anything, the staff neglected me as they forgot I was there! They kept forgetting my breakfast / tea etc, and I had to ring a buzzer constantly for assistance with anything (and they didn't exactly come running, let me tell you!). having a private bathroom was about the only plus I can think of. having a private room on an NHS ward and having a a room in a private hospital = two very different things.

Well I'll definitely see if I can get it done at a private hospital done then when I see the consultant next week - I wonder the criteria is for that? Anyone know?

I had a different experience to MrsMattie, a private room in an NHS hospital which I thought was fantastic. The care was the same as in the main ward (and not bad), the disgusting food was the same, but it was bliss to have peace and quiet when I wanted it and getting sleep at night made a BIG difference to my recovery.

Do you get to stay in longer if it's private? I'd rather stay in hospital to recover as much as possible before going home where I'll be getting no rest.

I booked into private (Lindo Wing) for no.2, partly because no.1 (emergency cs) had not been fun experience on NHS, & it was possible no.2 might need to be cs too. Turned out she was, and BUPA paid for the lot. So if you are looking at an unavoidable, medically required cs, then try that. (Only thing I would say is that places like Lindo Wing fill up months & months ahead.)

A friend of ours had here cs privately late last year.

She had her cs in the same hospital as she would have if she'd been NHS, but she has chosen her consultant and knew him beforehand. Her before and after care by the consultant was first class. She was in the same ward as normal and did not have her own room (I had a private room but was NHS). I don't know if this was her choice or not. So she had the same care as everyone else by the nurses there.

She stayed in lpnger than the NHS patients, as the consultant has a policy of his patients staying in x number of days. And I know she was vey impressed by the care and attention she recieved from her consultant hwho she saw at least once a day.

Oh - afterwards - Lindo Wing was lovely. Own room - soundproofed - you could SLEEP. I don't remember anything about the medical care, I expect it was not materially different from the NHS side, but what mattered to me was the peace. I did stay in longer than with no.1, but that was partly because with no.1 I was doing my damnedest to get out asap.

I had to have dd by emergency CS and although BUPA said well in advance of me knowing that would happen, that they would pay, when it came to the bill for the extra nights stay in the private wing of St Thomas', they wouldn't pay.

Be really careful on this, and make sure that you confirm in writing what they have agreed. Most policies don't cover you.

Eventually they paid up, because we knew who we had spoken to & when etc. I was already going private but to have the additional nights paid for by BUPA was great. Also, IMHO I would never have a baby in a private hospital, because in an emergency, you'll want the expertise of the NHS however much you pay. The private wing of an NHS hospital is, in my experience the best of both worlds. I did it twice, and it was fine both times.

Some NHS hospitals are better than others - if your nearest one is always in the papers about low staffing levels etc, I would go private. I'm lucky as I live near 2 and can choose, had CSecs at both and the low-staff one was awful aftercare. Catheter bags not being emptied, getting spilled, nobody cleaning them up, nobody responding to buzzers, literally no staff on the wards at times and not being checked on for hours and hours after your first day. Guess which one I've chosen this time!

Thanks everyone for the tips and anecdotes. I'm seeing my consultant on the 25th so will make sure he advises me properly. As far as I know I'll be having the baby at the main hospital in Brighton. Don't know too much about it tbh, but last time (when I lived in a different area) I did loads of research and opted to go out of area to a "good" hospital because my local one had such a bad rep at the time, nevertheless they managed to cock everything up, so I think I'm just going to go wherever, as long it's got a SCBU (just in case), and hope that the private care package makes a difference.