private at st thomas hospital

[westerngirl]

Hi,
Just wanted to know if anybody has gone private at st thomas' hospital, london. Not expecting yet (hope to get pregnant ca november/december - presumptuous or what) but would like to start getting ducks in a row.

I am living in lewisham but find the hospital so depressing can't countenance planning to go there. Tommys blurb says 4 consultants do private. Has anybody used any of them and what are they like? Like idea of tommys as best of both worlds, i.e. private comfort in large nhs teaching hospital with excellent neonatal facilities.

How early on do you need to 'book' a place? Cost not really an issue as insurance will cover most of cost. This is NOT a question about private versus public as all the safety nets are at this hospital.

Also know that best laid plans of mice and men etc. may end up in Lewisham in an emergency anyway.

all info gratefully received.

anybody at all with info?

No info on St.Thomas's but just wanted to say my best friend had her baby at lewisham and said they were absolutley fabulous. Granted the hospital could do with a makeover and she did also have her doubts to begin with but when the time came (and actually quite a long time before hand as she had complications) the care she recieved was excellent.

The choice is yours of course, but are looks more important than care at the end of the day?

I had the same thoughts as you westerngirl. I have spent a lot of time filming with the maternity and neonatal teams at ST Thomas' and know them to be extremely good. The private facilities are great and the NHS side is too. I had my baby at Lewisham and had been thinking about doing the private tommy's thing but just never got round to it. I had a c-section at Lewisham as DS was breech (naughty boy! ) and the surgical team were lovely. However, once back on the maternity ward I found the MV's were horrible and I already knew that the facilities were pretty skanky. If I had another child I would most def go private. But saying that, MV's can be great or not so great wherever you go - this was just a personal experience for me - for others it may have been different.

Had my DD in NHS bit at St T's and would thoroughly recommend it. Fantastic consultant, lovely MWs, all round top experience. Had a few complications, millions of scans and tests etc but all very reassuring and professional.

Found post natal ward a bit grotty but care was brill. Will go to St T's again and would def do the private thing for the aftercare if could afford...

I have a friend using the private midwife service at Tommys at the moment, she is very happy with it. I had dd at Tommy's and was well looked after, it's a great hospital.

BTW, how are you managing to get private maternity on insurance? I thought BUPA et al would only pay for private if you have medically neccessary c-section.

My private insurance excluded the whole lot, inc the medically necessary C section! I know some policies will cover it though (my old health one did but my work changed company 6 months before I got pg )

I had both my babies in St Thomas' and live in Tooting - didn't do private though, just said that I wanted to give birth there. Technically you are allowed to give birth where you like, so ask your GP to be referred, then you'll go through the Midwife stuff nearby (Vauxhall or similiar). Theoretically it's your choice and you shouldn't have to pay anything extra - I didn't.

If you give birth without any drugs you get 'rewarded' by having your own room/bathroom plus sofabed for DH/P etc!

ps. cannot reccomend it highly enough - so worth the journey. 1st one was induction and epidural etc. and 2nd one was insense and clangy music for a water birth and both of them were brilliant.

Thanks all for replies. Very reassuring re st thomas'; also for lewisham really!
Incredible that insurance provider didn't cover necessary c-section. Would change them and document why. Luckily the organisation my husband works for have their own medical scheme into which they pay a percentage of their salary each month. It is not an outside for profit company and therefore provides generous cover. They are not carte blanche as have limits within ceilings but maternity relatively good. Having said that I think the British nhs system and it's principle of free at point of access is AMAZING.

for what it is worth, i went private on my med insurance and had baby at chelsea and westminster hosp. didn't get organised enough to have a private room tho, which you have to book pretty much as you conceive. my main reason for going private was cos i wanted a specific consultant to deliver my dd.

i am not sure; but i suspect many private patients have elective caesarians

Hi,
I just had my baby in st. Thomas's private ward and it was an amazing experience. I was followed by Dr Eugene and i cannot praise him enough. He followed me during the entire time and was always available and very very very calm and knowledgable. Midwives in the ward were great as well. I cannot recommend it enough!!!let me know if u have any specific questions. Happy to help

This thread is 12 years old.

Hi there, new mum to be here, I’m also considering private delivery at either St Thomas or St Mary’s but the consultant I found at St Mary even from 36wk pregnancy (so only does the delivery) will cost £7500! I heard full antenatal price should be £8000 which means the consultant charge mostly for the felivery?! I’m wondering how much was Dr Eugene and did you go with the full Antenatal care with him too? Thanks

Hello there, may I ask, do you know if there is a nursery there, especially for the nights? Thank you

There is no nursery. You have to look after your baby yourself. The midwives and support workers are there to help you though. It's actually much, much safer for your baby to stay with you at night in terms of their breathing and establishing a bond with you, so I would be wary of hospitals who promote it as a positive- you pay more for care that is the opposite of what research and experts recommend x

Hi ladies,

I wrote up a full post of my experience at the Westminster Suite here if it's helpful for anyone thinking about going private; thelondonbump.co.uk/2022/02/16/nhs-vs-private-birth-whats-the-difference/