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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Private room post birth

13 replies

CUNextTuesday · 10/06/2010 11:29

Has anyone given birth in hospital and then decided to pay for a private room if they had to stay in for a while (as opposed to having pre-booked private room)?

I'm not precious about being in isolated splendour particularly, but I do have a low tolerance for other people and their faffing around so if it looks like it's going to be more than 24hrs stay I might look into it.

Has anyone done a last minute private room post birth? Is it even possible? Roughly how much is it likely to be (I'm at Kingston)?

OP posts:
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suwoo · 10/06/2010 11:31

I've had a private room after all three of my deliveries, luckily and inexplicably I have never been billed for them. I am up North though, t'is different here.

nymphadora · 10/06/2010 11:33

I'm nowhere near you but ours are £40ish and I'm definately having one if its available! Majority won't be prebooked as only the ELCS will know when they will be in.

Spirael · 10/06/2010 11:49

Just to clarify what you're after..? There's a difference between a Private Room and an Amenity/Side Room.

A Private Room will generally be part of a private ward and all your care will be private. By all accounts these cost huge amounts!

An Amenity Room on the other hand is a side room in an NHS ward. Your care is still provided by the NHS staff and you get the same food/etc everyone else gets, but you have a bit more privacy (as well as peace and quiet!).

I can't advise much about Private Rooms, but on the off chance it's an Amenity Room you're after then I can tell you what I know.

I'm up North as well, but I was recently advised that at LGI (Leeds General Infirmary) Amenity Rooms are either £45 without ensuite or £65 with ensuite.

However! There are only four Amenity Rooms available in total and they are given out according to need, i.e. mainly for patients who had C-sections or twins. They also cannot be prebooked.

Patients willing to pay can acquire a room if one is available, but in the event that the room is deemed to be needed for someone else, the paying patient can be turfed out at any point in the day or night and doesn't get their money back.

Not every hospital will be the same though, so you're probably best asking them directly. If you're having parent craft classes at the hospital, they'll tell you most of the info then. (Or that's a good time to ask them.)

HTHs!

CUNextTuesday · 10/06/2010 12:08

That's really useful, thanks spirael - no I wasn't aware of the difference although now you've said it, it seems pretty obvious

I shall ask MW next week what the score is

OP posts:
MumNWLondon · 10/06/2010 12:42

With DD none was available and it was over £100. With DS and DS1 managed to stay in the delivery room for 10+ hours so didn't have to pay and went straight home from the labour ward.

Meglet · 10/06/2010 12:45

I had an amenity room for 3 days after my planned cs with DD. It was bliss . I just pestered every midwife that came near me while I was on the high dependency ward and didn't let up until I got moved. I think they were glad to shut me up.

We couldn't pre-book, it was whatever was available on the day after baby had arrived.

I had a rotten experience on the ward following an em cs with DS and was determined to not have to put up with it again.

chestnut100 · 10/06/2010 13:31

i am at the Chelsea and Westminster and was told on the ward tour last week that individual rooms on the nhs are given only to those who are in for protracted periods (weeks at a time), twin births and cesarians. We were told there is basically no chance if you have a straighforwards birth.

In terms of the private rooms, they are £850 per night! I couldn't believe it, but it seems this is the going rate for London. So no matter how bad it is, I guess I will be toughing it out on the ward!

shipsladyg · 10/06/2010 17:08

Our local hosp in SE Ldn it's first come first served for £40 a night. Their policy is that C-sections have to spend their first night on a ward following a foul up at the Portland. The private, private rooms at hundreds of pounds include private care.

CherryPie3 · 10/06/2010 17:32

I have no experience of this but all info is good to know as I would prefer an 'amenity' room so I can practice breastfeeding in peace and quiet without having people thinking I'm a recluse by having the curtains pulled round.

If not available then fine - I'll be a recluse

guineagents · 11/06/2010 14:40

I had aprivate(amenity?) side room in NHS for 6 days after sons birth. Didnt even know other people were on shared ward until I got moved day 7 and omg the difference! So noisy, but lukily only there 1 night.

Dunno why I got side room? I have epilepsy which may have been consideration. maybe they didnt want me frightening relatives!!

HavingAnOffDAy · 11/06/2010 14:47

My best friend was in a side/amenity room & found that she was forgotten about a lot of the time by the midwifes on duty.

Can you speak to others who have had them at your hospital to find out what their experiences were?

lindsell · 11/06/2010 14:58

I had a private (side) room, it was £40/night for ensuite room (SE London) and you couldn't prebook just depended if any were available and I happened to be lucky. I definitely thought it was worth it because you only had to worry about your baby (which is quite enough!) not how much s/he was disturbing others/the noise everyone else was making/looking decent when you went to the loo etc etc. Also as I had to stay in for 3 days when dh came to visit it meant we had privacy just to be our little family iyswim

PrivetDancer · 11/06/2010 15:05

I had a side room after DD's straightforward birth. It was about £70 for the night and my main motivation was that it had a TV that I could control

I felt a lot more relaxed than I think I would have done in the ward, but agree with what HavingAnOffDAy said - I did feel a bit forgotten about - you have to not be shy to ring the buzzer if you want help with b/feeding / anything. I imagine if you're on the ward people would be wandering round all the time and it would be easier to just catch their eye. Maybe I am being naive there though!

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