Any experience of paediatric surgery at the Cromwell Hospital?

[FromTheFirstOldFashionedWeWereCursed]

DD (6) needs a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. My work gives me BUPA, so we’re seeing a consultant who’s head of a dept at a London NHS teaching hospital, and he suggested operating at The Cromwell.

DH had nasal surgery there when I was pregnant with DD and his experience was fine, but I am more nervous with DD- she is otherwise perfectly healthy now but was a small and frail newborn so I am still twitchy.

Thoughts / experiences on the Cromwell very welcome, please.

I suppose the alternative is dropping back into the NHS system and waiting it out, but although this is not super-urgent, that would seem tough on DD.

What's their emergency cover like?

How far are they from ITU facilities?

How do they manage bleeds and what lab facilities do they have on site?

Do they have paediatric specialist staff?

There are very few hospitals offering private paediatric surgery with good reason.

Our 4 year old daughter had her T&As out there last year. It was an incredibly smooth and calm experience, and I felt really confident in their abilities. The staff and facilities were brill and we were out the same day as the consultant used a newer technique for removal which was less likely to cause post op bleeding. I'd definitely use the hospital again if needed.

I think you just have to be prepared for if something goes wrong the fact your DC may need be blue lighted to St Mary’s (which I think is the nearest paediatric intensive care). It sounds relatively low risk on the face of it though. My DC had private surgery at another West London hospital and that is the only thing that played on my mind.

This is so helpful. Thanks for all replies.

Our local hospitals are West Middx and Kingston, and they don’t have a PICU either. As I’ve given birth in both (in high risk pregnancies), I probably wouldn’t have worried about that if we were having the surgery on the NHS. A blue light to ChelWest, St George’s or St Mary’s would have been the result there anyway.

This is particularly helpful. DD is having intracapsular coblation, which sounds like the same procedure.

Just fyi, Chelsea & Westminster doesn’t have a PICU (it has a NICU), we were in Chelsea & Westminster (privately) and told we’d be sent to St Mary’s if something went wrong.

Yes, I knew that - my post was about giving birth at West Middx knowing that the next option in terms of seriousness was ChelWest NICU.