Kingston Hospital Coombe Wing

[florence79]

This is my first time on mumsnet (hi everyone!) and i'd like to know if anyone has given or is due to give birth at Kingston Hospital privately and how much i'd be looking at paying? This is all new to me, had my first baby in American, so any help appreciated! Thanks

I have some experience of Kingston (working as a midwife, not as patient!). It's worth remembering it's not a private hospital - you are paying for the care, not the facilities. So you will be on the same ante/labour/post natal ward as everyone else and are not guaranteed your own room (except in labour, obviously!) The midwives caring for you in labour or on the ward are the same ones caring for everyone else. Your consultant will be on hand though for examinations and to do the delivery. You will only be moved to Coombe Wing after a 1 night stay on the PN ward and only then if you do not need any midwifery support (as no midwives on Coombe Wing).

KH has lovely facilities though. The cost is around 4-5k depending on what happens.

I've binned it now so can't remember exactly but the quote I had for private obstetrician care at Kingston (in August 2009) was way more than 4-5k, I think it was more like 8-9 (nothing unusual about my pregnancy or anything that was just the regular cost I was quoted).

I decided not to go there because as HTK has said it's not a private hospital so when it comes to the delivery you will be in the same bit as everyone else and there are no midwives on Coombe Wing so you have to stay on the ward until they're happy you can manage without (and once transferred you have no access to midwives which seemed a bit beside the point to me). I really couldn't see what I'd be paying for, I thought there were lots of places that offered much better care for the money (I've ended up going with the Birth Centre in Tooting which has been amazing so far but v different to hospital set-up so not for everyone).