Can you choose your NHS consultant?

[CrispyFB]

According to the NHS website, you can't. But I'm sure when I was referred by the midwives for DC2 they let me have a say and I chose an NHS one I had seen privately for other gynae stuff.

Is it just down to luck/the medical professional's personal ethics as to whether they let you or not?

It's just there's a bunch of consultants at the hospital I will deliver at (have moved since previous DCs) and having done my research, some have great reviews and some don't, and, well, I'd prefer the ones with good reviews unsurprisingly!! Or at least avoid the ones with bad reviews.

I'm high risk and need an ELCS as well so there's no doubt at all I will get a consultant, it would just be nice to have the choice..

Im under the consultant and have been through the last 4 pregnancies and iv always been under the same one although it's not always him I see, I don't think you can choose but I'm not 100%. maybe if you have a valid reason for not wanting a specific consultant they might let you see another but I don't think your guaranteed to see the consultant u pick each time.

I think you could request whose clinic you were under (in my experience I've been able to do that for a number if medical things and never been refused if I had a reason), but you most likely wouldn't always get to see the consultant in person - you could get any one of their team at your appointments. In my hospital I've seen the actual named consultant twice, and one of her colleagues two or three times.

I would imagine that you could get any one of the team performing the ELCS on the day too, rather than your named consultant depending on shifts and other emergencies. I think only privately would you be guaranteed your named preference.

Thank you both for your replies!

Ha, yes - I've never seen my consultant either, and last time I didn't get my consultant doing the ELCS either!

I'd just feel reassured that if something was an issue, I could escalate it to somebody I trust if that makes sense. And their team tend to have similar policies as well, or at least they should do