Private Hospitals - London

[kaboju]

Hi. I am new to mumsnet. I am 10 weeks pregnant with my first child and hope some one can share their experience of private hospitals in London. I am considering the Portland Hospital but after having a tour this week, I have heard that they have a bad reputation. Do anyone have any experience. Any other recommendations are very welcome. Really confused after hearing about the bad reputation. Any advise very much appreciate. Thanks in advance.

I don't know why you are worrying about paying £8 for congestion charge when you are spending thousands on private care!

building work is on-going at st marys they are not doing up the maternity ward just the recpetion area. Can be quite noisey at times.

cw is been extended to 18 beds which will make it less cosy and more like a 'normal' ward.

it always amazes me how diffrrent the mums are on each ward, the private mums tend to buzz for the midwive even if a nappy needs changing!

They also tend to think they will be top of the list, when it comes to things such as the hearing screen, when this is a nhs funded screen so they are not paying for it.

building work at St Marys suppose to finish in mid June...

Me23, you seem a bit chippy about private patients. Why? Surely it's not good to generalise?

Hi,

I've just had my first child at The Portland.

I've only read the OP, not the discussion, but would happily recommend The Portland.

I found the care top notch and the support I was given throughout was just wonderful.

Just for the record, I had an El. CS and got my ideal birth experience.

I would also recommend the lansdell suite at St. Thomas' - but it's a smaller private wing and can be busy.

Good luck with your pregnancy and birth.

I do have experience of these patients everyday at work so I am in the postion to have formed an opinion over the years.

I also think it is such a shame that patients cannot get as much one to one care on the nhs, however I know of some star nhs midwives who do a fantastic job.

st john and lizzies is fab for it's holistic perspective and promoting normality, which is unusual for a private hosptial.

If you hoping for a normal birth please be aware that 90% of patients who book with the portland end up having a c-section! apart from st john and lizzies, private care has a high rate of c-sections.
I wish you all the best and hope you all have the births you wish for

Private care has a high rate of sections because a number of people go privately when they have had a horrendous, poorly managed birth first time round - and they opt for an elective second time round. There is also a proportion of people who want an elective from the word go, and if they have the means they will go privately too. This makes the rates you are citing (if they are actually correct) meaningless! Everyone I know who's been to the Portland had a natural birth and was happy with it. I don't know anyone who's not gone back for their second when they had their first there! It isn't my hospital of choice but feel you are being rather blinkered here!

If I was going private in London, I'd go to the Lindo Wing of Queen Mary's Paddington. Private facilities but inside an NHS hospital.

Private care has a high rate of C-sections because health insurance pay for c-sections.

Unfortunately, my insurance company is one of the few that doesn't.....

Where insurance companies cover c sections, it is because it is medically required. They require quite a lot of information before deciding if they will pay out

just had my second baby at j &l after a first at uch (not horrendous but far from ideal and awful postnatal)

i loved every minute of the antenatal care, te birth was wonderful and postnatal is great. i did feel v guilty about going private (we are well off but not loaded) but this is everything the nhs should be and it has made a huge difference o how i have felt about the birth and how well i am recovering.

would recomend j&l to absolutely everyone.

Hi spottedandstriped - Not in the case of my insurance company, its policy states "no payments will be made in relation to claims regarding pregnancy." Full stop, end of argument!

Unfortunately, I did not know this before I took out the policy....and I am now pregnant and having a c-section for medical reasons, which they will not cover.

Minnie - yes most are like this I think - exclude childbirth in their entirety. Some though will allow c sections only if they were medically necessary.

Minnie - yes most are like this I think - exclude childbirth in their entirety. Some though will allow c sections only if they were medically necessary.

actually I have done a bit of research this area, and there is a lot of politics surrounding the politics of c-sections, just read sheila kitzinger or rosemary mander, soo downe, ina may gaskin, denis walsh plus numerous others,if a woman has had a traumatic vaginal delivery an obstetrition suggesting elective section is not addressing the issues or anxieties of the woman, but is making their job a lot more convenient! more money, can plan when baby is born etc.. anyway this isn't the place for this discussion!
good luck with your choices, wishing you a happy healthy pregnancy and birth