Chelsea and Westminster

[balletmoo]

Hello all,

I remember when I first found out I was pregnant, I spent a lot of time looking up info on London hospitals to decide which one to go for. I live near Chelsea and Westminster and found it hard to find current info on the place. In the end, I went for C&W because it was nearest, and I didn't want to have to risk fighting my way through rush hour traffic to a maternity unit further away.

Anyway, for those of you who are doing the research now, I thought I would let you know my experiences - although they may not be completely indicative of others because of the circumstances of birth.

I was admitted to maternity at 32 weeks with a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and ended up spending 2 weeks in ante-natal. The care was great: the doctors, consultants and midwives were attentive and helpful, even though I have a ridiculous fear of needles which created havoc every evening when they tried to administer the dreaded Clexane injection!!

Granted, it was a bit frustrating that no-one could give me any idea of how long it would be before I was likely to go into labour, but that is the nature of pre-eclampsia! It was also a little frustrating, and not at all restful to be in a general ante-natal ward, with other mums going into labour all around in the middle of the night. But they do try and give "long-termers" like those in with pre-eclampsia their own side room - indeed, I got one after nearly two weeks... although I didn't have it for long!

In the end, I ended up in Labour ward with very little notice as my condition deteriorated quite suddenly. And they were also fantastic. Because I have a scoliosis of the lower spine, I had a consultant anaesthetist, and the surgeon who did my emergency-C was totally brilliant.

The downside was - as is the case is so many hospitals - with post-natal. There were some great midwives there too but some horrors also - one of whom tried to stop me from going to see my little boy (delivered at 34 weeks and in Neonatal Intensive Car) because my BP was a little high. I was moved from a side room (which I was placed into because I didn't have a baby with me) into a ward after 4 days.

BUT I guess, on balance, the guys at C&W were great, and whilst my circumstances were not usual, and I found it all very frustrating / upsetting / hideous at the time, in the end it was actually not as bad as some older posts indicated it might be...

hi thanks for posting this. am due to have my baby and chelwest any day now and its nice to hear good experiences :)

really glad to hear it was good for you ballet. i logged on to this thread because i had such a bad experience at the C+W and wanted to see if it was another negative report. i had my son there three years ago and it was truly appalling + i won't be going there again. however, i imagine for emergencies/special care like you needed, they would be as good as anything in the country. great that it all turned out well.

Thanks for posting. I am under high risk obstetric care there and it has been excellent so far. The midwife and consulant (Mark Johnson) are brilliant. I am nervous about post-natal care as most of the experiences I have read have been negative and so it is good to hear yours.

hi there

i recently had my baby at the C&W and it was a fantastic experience. My circumstances (spontaneous rupture of membranes without any imminent labour) meant i couldnt have the birth i had detailed in my birth plan, but the consultant came to see me on the day to talk about how we could incorporate as much of it into the birth as possible. The midwife who looked after me throughout my labour was nothing short of AMAZING. I wasnt rushed out of the labour room post birth (had a good 5 hours in there), and was brought tea and toast and helped to have a bath by another lovely midwife.

The post natal ward was certianly busy, however I found that simply by asking i got everything i needed (both advice and more practical requests). There were numerous students on the ward who were really helpful, particularly with brest feeding etc. I personally thought they did a magnificent job under challenging circumstances (many of the women on the ward had little or no command of english, and i witnessed a few rather demaning (and downright rude)women who i certainly would not have wished to care for.

We will be moving out of London before I have my next baby, this is the only reason i wont return to the C&W (a fact I am a little sad about). I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a great place to have your baby

I am glad to hear that things have improved. I had my DD there 5 years ago this Friday and it was truly the most hideous experience of my life. Something definitely needed to change and I'm pleased to hear that it has.

Hi,

I had both my DS and DD at C&W and I felt well looked after. I cannot fault the ante-natal care, luckily I did not have any major complications but always felt confident that I was getting the appropriate care. No unnecessary tests etc...

My DS was born 3 years ago by emergency C section and I had to stay 2 nights in the post-natal ward. That was the problematic part of my stay. It was crowded and loud and worse part was the staff. The midwives were not very supportive ( I wanted to mix feed) , some rude and dramatic especially the night shift.

When it was time to deliver my DD last month by elective c- section I opted for C&W but gambled on upgrading to a private room for the recovery - I knew that I was going to have to stay 2 nights and although reports were that the post natal ward had improved I did not want to go through it again.

I spent 2 nights in the private wing, It was not cheap but a heck of a lot cheaper than going private all the way. And it was so worth it!

I had dd1 at C&W ... never again. The labour ward was fine and midwives etc were fab.

Ante-natal ward was like a living nightmare....way way too noisy and overcrowded. I arrived on the ward at 7:30 am just when everyone was waking up and I'd discharged myself by 3pm. I was knackered and hadn't slept for 48 hrs. I felt so sorry for ladies who had had c-sections etc and had to stay in.

Worst but was lady in the opposite bed who'd obvioulsy had a perfect birth, calling literally all her friends and announcing at the top of her voice that she'd had the baby etc etc. Then 1/2 hour later her bed was surrounded by visitors. When I finally got to sleep, the tea lady woke me up to ask if I wanted a cup of tea!!! Arrgghhhh!

Noisy and overcrowded wards are unavoidable on the NHS though, aren't they? At least in the busy London hospitals. This is one of the reasons I want to go private, I know I'd find it very stressful and upsetting - privacy and quiet and control of my environment are very important to me at the best of times, never mind when recovering from giving birth and learning to care for a new baby.

Iks - were you able to book a private room in advance, or were you depending on one being available? I would worry about getting there and finding there were no free rooms after all, not sure how likely this is though...

Iks - how much was the private room per night?

I had DD there 2 years ago and also had a great experience. I was under high risk care due to complications during first pregnancy and labour (at St Thomas's) and Guy Thorpe-Beeston (consultant) and the midwives couldn't have been nicer. Totally supportive and gave me options rather than just dictated to me.

I had similar late pregnancy issues to first time around and dealing with them at C&W was so much easier than at Tommy's where every visit was a full day of waiting around. At C&W I was in and out in a couple of hours.

My ELCS was eventually brought forward a week and was a really good experience. Post-natally I had a couple of dodgy hours during shift change-over where I couldn't get seen and needed some help, and also got missed for discharge by a day so stayed an extra night but the rest was fine.

I would definitely go there again, although do know of some people who've had bad experiences there.

Ephiny I think at C&W private rooms are quite alot, between £100 and £200 a night. Before I had dd1 I thought it was a complete waste of money but in hindsight it's definitely worth it to get a private room. That way you still get the knowledge and expertise of the NHS.

DD2 was born elsewhere, we pair £50 a night for a private room. It was fab...I think all women need personal space after childbirth just to get their head around the enormity of what's just happened!

Personally I would completely avoid fully private hospitals, I have some heard very bad things about the one in particular.

Hi
Thanks for starting this, I'm due to give birth at C&W in January. I've recently moved to Richmond though so could opt for Kngston if I wanted to. I thought C&W had been great so far for punctuality of appointments, availability and cleanliness although I've never seen the ward.

I will send this to my DH to see what he thinks. The private room sounds a nice (but expensive) option. Then again this whole pregnancy and childbith/care business sounds expensive!

I've heard good things about Kingston too. I think their maternity bit is quite new.

goody - are you referring to a room on the nhs post-natal ward as private rooms on the private wing are 950 a night?

I'd check the cost of the private room (on the private ward) as I've heard that it's actually £900 a night and there's obviously no guarantee of a room unless you're going wholly private (which costs upwards of £6k, more if you have a caesarean). If the ward is full then obviously you won't get a room. However, there are sixteen rooms on the private ward so the odds are you would get lucky. They may have some private rooms on the NHS side that cost less (perhaps the £200 mentioned) but I think these get allocated on a first-come-first-served/deserving case basis. So caesarean/difficult births, etc. And I've had friends who've had caesareans and tricky births there who've still ended up on the postnatal ward as the private rooms are all gone. It's probably worth calling them beforehand.

I've heard they've pumped money into Chelsea and Westminster in the last couple of years and there are more midwives and a very good breastfeeding counsellor. They're also the only London maternity unit who allow independent breastfeeding counsellors, etc. to come and offer support (madness but true!) so they're definately on the side of the patients rather than bureacracy-driven. I've also heard excellent reports about Kingston though.

I think the private rooms at C&W (the Kensington Wing) are more like £800 a night.

Hi there,

I've been referred to C&W by my doctor to have my baby. I am 7+2 and saw my doctor 2 weeks ago and I still havent heard anything from C&W as yet with regard to my booking in appointment.

Can anyone tell me the normal procedure (first pregnancy!) and if I should be chasing someone yet?

Not really sure what happens now, its early days I know :)

Thanks! x

800 for normal delivery
950 for CS

kit - ta for info re private rooms on nhs ward.

walkonby - i got my booking apt at 12 weeks from the hospital (I self-referred at 7 weeks as had early scan at the EPU) . BUT, I also got a booking appt from the local health centre for 10 weeks. As I am high risk, I am going through C& W antenatal.

I think it talkes about 2-3 weeks after referral and so you should hear back soon.

I am due tomorrow and when baby decides to arrive will be at C&W. I have heard some worrying stories about post natal care there but at least am prepared with low expectations- I think wherever you go in London will be the same - busy and pot luck as to what experience you have.

Note that if you are not breasfeeding they say they do not provide formula. I have managed to find out that they will provide clean bottles and you should take ready made single packs of formula in (or one of those SMA Gold packs which include disposable small bottles).

I will report back once baby has arrived!

Private wing (Kensington Wing)

Antenatal private rooms £750
Post-natal 800-950

But that's a completely separate unit. Perhaps there are also private rooms on NHS side which could be cheaper - it's worth asking. Just remember that they may need them for someone recovering from a bad c-section or worse.

I've just contacted the private wing and its £5,900 for a private birth (uncomplicated, natural birth) for which you get the room for one night and have to "check out" by midday the next day!

Hmmm I think I'd rather have a couple of nights at Claridges for the price of one night in a post natal room.....! Or a new handbag...... Still if money was no object I would probably sign up!!

Emo76
Funny you should say that

My consultant when asked by dh if we can stay for 2-3 extra nights said cheerfully

"Of course - if you want. We are more expensive than the ritz but they don't have heroin on tap."

I guess he was referring to pethidine. Apparently the costs to the hospital even on nhs side are up to 1000 per night.

I'd prefer claridges to the ritz too btw.

I assume the £5,900 is for a fully private delivery, not just use of a post-natal room for 1 night!? Though based on the reading around I've done, for a consultant-led delivery or c-section you'd pay up to another 5k on top of that for the consultant's fee, not to mention paying an anaethestist's fee if you have an epidural, and any other 'extras'. So it could easily go well over £10k :(

It's a lot, no question about that. I'm divided between wondering whether it's worth it to get the individualised care and attention and the privacy and respect that I want, and wondering whether I want to make such a big dent in our savings that would be better spent on childcare and other costs after the baby arrives. I do worry how I'd cope with the NHS experience though.

Yes, Ephiny if you go for consultant led care the consultant fees are on top from £6000-£6500 at C&W depending on who you go for. Here is the price options for 2010 from C&W:

The Kensington
Price List
2009 -2010

Midwife Led Care Package

Vaginal delivery + first night stay £5,900

Emergency Caesarean Section + first night stay £7000

Consultant Led Care

Vaginal Delivery + first night stay £3,800
(plus consultant fees between £6000-6500)

Caesarean Section + first night stay £4,900
- Elective or Emergency.

These are hospital fees only and are separate from the fees charged by your consultant.

So there is a big difference between midwife led care and consultant led care. Depends if you are high risk. In addition, with Midwife care you still do not get to see the same midwife at each visit - with consultant led care he/she does all your antenatal checks.

On top of these fees are fees for scans and bloods. You can choose to have these done at the hospital (I presume no fee for this but I am not sure) or at the Woman's Wellness Centre which is opposite the hospital and there is a charge. Scans are around £125.00-£150.00 depending on whether you go to sonographer or a consultant.

Epidurals are extra from £250-£800.00 as there is an anaesthetist there on site (so no waiting around if you want one!)

Additoinal nights are £800

Hope this helps - if you call them directly they will send you the price list, info pack and list of consultants and their specialist areas of interest IYSWIM

(I FWIW - I am under consultant led care and due to deliver there in Nov - let me know if you need more info)