Oh dear, some of the comments on this thread really would not endear expectant parents to the benefits of Consultant led private maternity care!!
I think there are a number of myth's regarding private Obstetric's which you may or may not find useful. To give you an insight the overall CSection rate for women delivering at a private maternity unit like the Portland is in the region of 60-70%. The typical overall CS rate for NHS maternity units in London are probably in the region of 24-35% (C+W has arguably the highest CS rate in London, I accept the merit's and drawback's of this are open to debate).
From a purely technical perspective for an Obstetrician who is undertaking a women's care in the private sector, delivery by planned CSection usually accounts for the least stressful and relatively most straight forward of cases. Most 1st and 2nd CS's are largely routine operative procedures (in the absence of extensive scar tissue from previous surgery),its usually the 3rd, 4th and 5th ones that are likely to be technically more challenging.
By the time most Obstetrician's have reached Consultant level they will have done hundreds if not thousands of CS's as part of their training. In this context for most it is usually a relatively routine surgical procedure.
The ability to undertake a straight forward CS does not necessarily mark out a 'good' Obstetrician.
It is the ability to communicate with parents to put them at their ease, the ability to support and empathise that go together with the clinical skills and the ability to manage complications as they arise that distinguishes the better Obstetricians.
I suspect there is a perception that as some private practices become more established and very busy the concept of 'individualised care' can sometimes get 'blurred' and things start to unfortunately become a bit like a 'production-line' rather than a bespoke service where continuity of care and excellence are paramount. It does come down to your expectation levels.
As has been posted above, for this reason alone before deciding on your Consultant do try and meet a few to get a feel for how you gel with them. Potentially they will be guiding you through some of the most stressful but also hopefully the most jubilant and memorable experiences of your life!
Please forgive the plug, but I suspect many of the relatively newer Obstetric Consultants, who have established NHS practices but who are starting out in the private sector, are more than happy to offer complementary introductory consultations purely for such circumstances.
Happy shopping!