Can anyone recommend a consultant at Kingston or Queen Charlotte's please?

[Lotster]

Hi everyone, this is my first post so apologies if this question has been answered elsewhere!

I'm pregnant with my second child and after a very difficult time with my first birth and subsequent recovery on the NHS, I'm looking for advice on private care.

I'm in Balham and so far I think I have worked out from reading the boards, that for my nearest hospitals offering private care within an NHS hospital, that Queen Charlotte's and Kingston are the most recommended - and reasonable!

I need a C-section for medical reasons and unfortunately I don't have health insurance -so we are having to raise the cash ourselves and although I'm tempted to go with the cheapest consultant and hospital I can find, it's really important to me that I can find someone with a kind bedside manner.

Can anyone help please?

thanks,

Charlotte

There is supposed to be a very good 'natural' birthing place attached to St Georges which is private, but they do offer C sections I think. Can't remember the name, will look it up, is slightly closer to Balham than your other options. It is expensive though.

Can I ask why your first birth was so bad? Have you considered other cheaper options - like a doula to be at the birth and the first few weeks afterwards? Would be ALOT cheaper than a private section. A doula would assist you during the birth, be your advocate, etc. Then afterwards they can help you at home - I had one for 6 weeks and it was incredible, made such a difference to my physical and mental recovery. A bit like having a very knowledgeable best friend/mother with you but without the emotional stuff!!

I gave birth at Kingston, but my consultant specialised in twins, she was lovely though, Meena Shankar. My sister gave birth at QC so will try and ind out her consultant.

Lotster - i had an emergency section first time at charlotte's and will try and remember my consultants name there, but if you're in balham and you need a section for medical reasons st george's will do it. we live in clapham south and were at st george's for my second ds. i was booked for a semi elective section at 34 weeks (rather than wait for an emergency iyswim) and my consultant was edwin chandrahan (not totally right on the surname I'm sorry but you'll be able to find him there). why don't you go through their system and see what they say as you can always go private at any stage i think.

alternatively it's probably just as close to go to the portland if you are going private.

why do you want to go private in NHS hospital? or am i being thick and it's a lot cheaper?

only thing i would say about going to charlotte's from balham is that it's a real treck over there, which is why we chose george's for ds2

HTH

Charlotte, if you need a CS for medical reasons you will certainly get one on the NHS.

I gave birth at QC and found the whole team MWs, BF counsellors, doctors everyone to be brilliant. I was on the normal ward (Edith Dare) and really they could not have been kinder. Some of my NCT group also had their babies there and had the same experience.

My consultant was Mr Muckerjee and he was exceptionally kind, patient and never made me feel that he was rushed off his feet, even though he surely must have been.

I wasn't eligible for the birthing centre there but DP and I went and had a look anyway, and it too looked great.

Hope you have a much better time of it, this time round.

My consultant at Kingston was Mr. Andrew Pooley. I saw him privately and he was fantastic from start to finish; including when I blubbed all over him. I had had previous home births but am almost converted to c-sections now

Penona it's 'The Birth Centre' in the grounds of St Georges. They are independent midwives and are FANTASTIC but they can'tdfo a c-section there. You would need to go into hospital.

my obstetrician was ifat ataullah, at kingston, and she's fab! very kind and understanding.

on the day though, she was on hols so i had meena shankar and she was great too.

Wow, thanks for all your messages so far!

Cheesychips, I spoke to a midwife on the phone who said Pooley was "gorgeous"! I assumed she meant personality!
Definitely wanted him but but she also said he's been ill, so I'm not sure if he'll be taking patients in time...

So it's great to hear Warthog that you liked Ifat Ataullah, I spoke to her secretary today and she's also very reasonable compared to some others.

Thanks to the other girls too ( and you'll wish you hadn't asked , yes I can/have to have have a C/S on NHS anyway, I just feel like I'm only getting myself back on track physically and mentally from the first birth and my son is two... I don't think I could cope again if there were to be problems this time round - I know if could all be fine if I'm lucky but not sure I want to take the risk. I'm really very careful with money but feel that if my sanity and health isn't worth this one "treat" then what is. Especially as I don't plan on any more than two children. My children need a healthy happy mummy and the last two years have been a nightmare for me, so I want to be in the hands of people who are consistent throughout my care and fulfill their promises.

My Sis has worked for NHS as a paramedic for 14 years and I am well aware of how lucky we are to have our service, but I don't feel I can guarantee the kid gloves care I need this time round.

Basically I had PTSD after my first birth. I'd had SPD for the last trimester and I eventually had a forcep delivery for my back to back baby, after being left fully dilated and unable to push him out, with no pain relief for several hours.
I got a nasty second degree tear, no sleep and hardly any help on the ward for 3 days (I had to stay in because my son had a jaundice from a cephalheamatoma from the first four tries with the ventouse and had to have a brain scan).
I think because I was so run down, I got breast thrush which wouldn't shift for three months (breastfed throughout), and my stitches got infected within a week, some burst leaving painful scar tissue. After a series of steroid injections I eventually had a perineal repair operation, 7 months after the birth. This op was botched as stitches were put in the wrong place and they removed so much tissue I was sent home with dilators to "stretch myself back to normal"... terrified I would never have relations with my husband again, or be able to conceive.

Had another op to repair this op 4 months after that, no apologies offered. Again, lot of tissue removed.
The consultant who promised me she would do the op had apparently not even been in the room the first time, but did the 2nd op herself and things were eventually much better.
After each op you can't lift anything heavier than a kettle of water for 8 weeks. So during this whole period of time I had several month's worth of time where I couldn't lift my son when he cried and wanted picking up, which was heartbreaking, or indeed fully care for him, as I was convalescing so much.

I've been pain free for a just a few months now (as I said my son is two) and has been signed off from counselling. But pregnant again I'm terrified! I really want to enjoy this pregnancy, and the precious months after this time round, and I feel that consultant care from one person, knowing more what to expect as I head in the the operating theatre yet again and a quiet room to recover in will give me the piece of mind I need.

I did meet a doctor last week on Consultant Mr Chandaharan's team at St G's who who went to great lengths to tell me about how horrendous and life threatening C/S infections can be, and that I'm clearly infection prone (thanks for that), and I've just had enough!

Again thanks for any tips you can give me, it's so daunting to choose from a list of consultants with no idea who is nice and who isn't!!

Charlotte

hey charlotte - who was the doctor on edwins team at george's? i had issues with some of his team and eventually i had "patient has requested to only see consultant at appointments and no one else" - after i had pretty much told one of his team that i might as well have seen my own GP at an appointment she was that much help (basically i had severe PE in 1st pg and was down for a section right from start of 2nd PG and she startd going through VBAC options with me!)....

you just got to do what's best for you! keep us all updated and congrats for getting pg a 2nd time

Mr Pooley is gorgeous! He is so kind and reassuring and gentle and a dad of 3 himself.

I had asked for immediate skin to skin and he ensured it happened. When a midwife approached me to take the baby whilst still in theatre he told her (politely) to go away and that the baby was clearly healthy and would weigh the same in an hour as he would now.

Very,very sorry to hear he's been ill but sounds like you have some other great recommendations.

I was the hippy drippy homebirth queen until dc 3 but I had a really wonderful c-section experience.

Wishing you luck.

Flick - I think (because her name is such a doctor's scribble!) - her name was Gorti. Here's a coincidence - She even suggested that I could always go for a vaginal birth and "see what happens" as she wasn't too worried about external scarring if the upper parts are fine - Having had two ops and months of agony, stretching, massage and humiliation I nearly fell off my chair.
I had been told there wasn't much perineum left by the surgeons but because they hadn't written this in my notes (GP said to just ask for a letter of explanation for my next hosp. from them in future if I got preg again) she acted like I was requesting the C/S when in fact I had been told by the team and my GP it was the only option.

Luckily after she had upset me so much and I told her she was freaking me out she sought advice from another lady, Ms Hughes who sensibly said C/S was the option for me with what I had been through and would have to do again afterwards (and possibly never get down there as normal again as I have now).
This is such a re-inforcment of why I want to find a private consultant to stick with - you just never know who you'll have on the day with the NHS or what "causes" they might be on.

CheesyChips I sooo like the sound of Mr Pooley! Maybe I'll be lucky and he'll come back in time. What was his package price and how long ago was it? I know Ms Attuallah is £4,600 plus the hosp charges.

thanks gals,

Charlotte

yes i think that was the sneior reg that i had the issues with - she is indian and my surname is indian and she suggested i was spelling it wrong (it's on dh's side).....i was basically a stroppy cow and demanded to see edwin and only edwin and have him deliver me and had it not been 34 weeks and we had to have scbu he would hav delivered ds2! scbu was closed o nthe day of delivery because they had infection on the ward - unfortunatetly that is something that you can't legislate for NHS or private!

make sure that you know waht the anesthiatist (sp) fees, pead fees and any other fees associated with private section delivery are as it can all mount up without realising! sorry if i'm preaching to the well informed, i don't mean to!

Charlotte, this was only last February so all pretty recent. Sorry to be pathetic girlie but will need to check with my husband re charges - he dealt with all that.

Will get back to you.

Flick that's a coincidence! Did not like her manner at all. Sometimes making a fuss gets you better treatment tho so good for you!

The cost certainly all adds up. Could not believe my ears when C+W quoted me a total of 14k for a caesaerean and accomodation etc!! The hospital charges are so much higher than elsewhere before you start adding the consultants fees etc that they blow the other places out of the water. Kingston have said def less than 8k.

BTW in answer to your earlier question about why choose private within NHS, it does seem to be cheaper (except C+W obv.), maybe because it's not quite as plush as a devoted private maternity hosp like The Portland. But it's cool with me because I'd like an NHS A+E in situ.

Thanks Cheesychips, hope he's cheap as well as gorgeous!

Charlotte

OMG Charlotte, you poor thing.

In case this helps, I had a CS with DS1 (medical reason), and an elective CS with DS2. My consultant (on the NHS) was Mrs Kate Panter. When I had a meeting with her to beg for a CS discuss my options, she said:

"Any woman can, at Kingston hospital, have a Caesarean if she specifically wants one." Even if there is no medical necessity for it.

I said, "So could I have a CS just because I'm, shit-scared of having a natural birth?" and she said Yes.

With this in mind, maybe it would be worth seeing her, as it sounds like you have plenty enough reason to want/need a CS. And she specifically said that Kingston's policy is to give women elective CS's if they want them.

Once you're booked in for the CS (which will happen at about 37 weeks [the booking in], the CS happens at 29 weeks) there wouldn't be any chance of your not having one.

Anyway, just thought it might be helpful.

Both my CS's were at Kingston, and both were fabulous, no problems. mrs Panter actually did my first one herself.

That's not really my experience - private wings in London NHS hospitals aren't really any cheaper than the Portland and they can be much harder to get into (people prefer them for the safety options) - no idea about Kingston though - if they are offering full private antenatal and postnatal care for that price on a separate private ward, it sounds like a deal - but check carefully what's included and what's not and that it's what you are expecting.
Portland isn't really plush compared to eg C&W which only opened its new wing a month ago, although it's no dearer last time I looked than the other options like Lindo and Lansdell.
Maybe is Kingston cheaper as out of London?

Hi Charlotte. I can't really comment on your actual questions but had two things to add. Firstly, I booked the birth centre in Tooting for my first pregnancy. I transferred to Kingston at 36 weeks when I developed OC and needed an induction. They definitely don't do C sections but I would also say that it is worth considering an independent midwife as they can really support you and argue your case with all the medical staff while you are in hospital. I ultimately had a CS with DD because my induction failed and I was really impressed with the standard of the emergency care there. I can't remember the name of the consultant though, sorry. What is also worth knowing is that my DD needed special care and I thought that the special care unit was really excellent too. I was very happy with the care overall in Kingston.

I really hope you get a better experience this time.

Charlotte - you had a horrible time first time round. Poor you.

Can I recommend two things. Firstly, there is a consultant at Kingston who looked after me second time round in an emergency situation, she was brilliant, I can't remember her name but she had 8 children.

Secondly, I used to live just down the road from you, and ended up having both dcs, both sections at the Lansdell Suite at St Thomas'. It is completely fab, they are so kind, and gentle and completely easy about paranoid mothers (not you, me, I was a nightmare both times). I had Eugene (with the unpronounceable surname - if you ring the Lansdell and ask for him they will be able to help) and he was divine. The second time round, it wasn't entirely medically necessary to book in for a section at 38 weeks, but to avoid the hideous situation I had last time, I did, and it was lovely. There's big love on MN for the lovely Eugene!

HTH

If you are still interested in Queen Charlotte's ... I had an amazing experience there recently on the private ward. My consultant was Dr. Kumar and he was just about everything I could have wished for. Intelligent, considerate, responsive. I felt very safe in his hands and he respected my birth wishes. I had a vb but other mumsnetters have recommended him for C sections. The midwives on the ward were also quite lovely, both for ante and post-natal care ( i had an induction). And the place was quiet and calm (no candles and duvets, definitely a hospital setting, but pleasant)

Queen Charlotte's does not fill up as quickly as some of the other private wards in the NHS hospitals. If you call their private patient number, they'll direct you to someone who can answer your questions.

yes that's who i had dr kumar - he's wonderful and actually so are his senior reg's - i had him on NHS first time round.

Charlotte that all sounds awful, poor poor you.
I wonder whether an independent midwife might work for you? She'd be more likely to be there throughout the whole brith, every appt etc, and would be expensive (I think around £4k) but less than a c section. Although she can't actually do a section she can advise and support etc.
If you are going for private on the NHS you need to find out exactly what happens if emergencies turn up.... my consultant was ill the day of my birth which was a shame. And the other woman booked in for a c section waiting in the reception got bumped because I was a priority with twins. She was pretty hacked off. I have no idea about private use of NHS doctors - maybe start a thread about that and find out other's experiences??

The best of luck for this time.

Wow, loving the mumsnet ladies!! So much advice for me to go on, thanks for the recommendations.

I think I'll tour Lansdell Suite (home of the much praised Mr Eugene Oteng-Ntim!), Kingston's Coombe Wing (I heard Mr Pooley's back from October!!) and Charlotte's.

I must look in to the being "bumped for a priority" thing - would be really aggravating to pay for care then get a different surgeon on the day or get put on the ward when you know you've paid for a room etc...

Believe me, those who mentioned the NHS service at Kingston - I'd be using it then maybe just pay for a private room to recove in afterwards to save costs. But it's not my catchment area unfortunately. My choices are St Thomas', St George's, and Chelsea and Westminster.

Having had a traumatic time at my birth at Tommy's, and experiencing the post natal care there, then the op's at George's (one botched), and hearing about my friends births at Chelsea (great births/awful after care) I really can't do any of them. So private it is.

On that subject, I was so surprised at the two different sides of births at Tommy's. In my experience there, and my opinion, the Home from Home side is Heaven and the Birth Centre was Hell!
One minute I'm in a birth pool with a lovely midwife and my own room complete with Thames view waiting for me, with pull out bed for my husband to stay for 24hours!! (all part of the NHS service at Tommy's if you don't take the drugs and keep it natural...)

The next, said lovely midwife who was lovely but really not on the ball realised I was 10cm, my son was back to back and I couldn't push him out in a "month of sundays" apparently (!) And needed assistance in theatre.

I was put on a trolley, taken to the Birth Centre side where random people proceeded to yell at me like I was an idiot, ram a catheter in me without warning causing the bigggest contraction ever, then leave me flat on my back waiting for an anaethatist who was "just coming" for what seemed like hours. Oh it makes me sooo mad. I don't want to scare people with this but they really need to give people on both sides the kindnes and respect they seemed to give in the Home from Home. I bet the aftercare in H from H was much nicer than the BC too. But that's another thread...

Thanks again ladies. And sorry to wafle, seems I couldn't bring myself to go over my experience then once you start you can't shut up!!!

Charlotte

Goodness poor you. You do seem to have had a really rough time of it. Would your doctor do a special request for Kingston? I wasn't in the area either but was bizarrely easier for me to get to on public transport than my closest one and couldn't drive while pg (too ill). I ended up with a private room in Kingston anyway - they have quite a few and give them as priority for c sections usually as you have to stay in longer.

How much is it at somewhere like the Portman? I don't know what they cost. But only hear good things about it. And you could end up next to someone like Posh Spice and sell your story to cover the cost

Good luck to you. It doesn't sound like a very nice position to be in. And well done on having the courage to be pregnant again - not sure I would after all you have been through!

Me again
Just like to add (and no I am not Mr Pooley's wife. accountant or PR gal ) that whilst I had booked my c section with Mr P for Thursday I went into spontaneous labour early on Saturday morning. We were able to ring him on his mobile and he met us there,

Thanks so much Penona. And I'll ask my doctor about Kingston, good point. Portland starts from £10k for c-section I think. Seems the only place that gives you a slighter cheaper one if it's for medical reasons too. But it's still too expensive!

Cheesychips I think it's become clear now to all of us that you are in fact Mr Pooley's stalker! . Just joking, he sounds sooo nice. waiting for the price list from Fiona his sec now.

C

my god you had a rough time. fwiw i think you're doing the right thing.

i think ifat is the bees knees and i'm sure you'd be very happy with her. i hope the second time is a lot better.