Cost of private CS in London

[time2deal]

Hi,

I had a very disappointing meeting with NHS consultants today which has made me very nervous about sticking with them for a (medically necessary) c-section later in the year. So I was wondering if I could ask for peoples experience of what it costs to go private in London.

The clinic seems ok for the monitoring and ante-natal care, so I'll stick with them for that, but the quite junior consultant I saw today was clueless about my issues (arising from cervical cancer treatment) and I realised I wanted a more experienced person holding the scalpel!

I do have private health insurance so the cost of private room and I think the hospital fee for surgery is covered, but they only provide £650 or so towards the consultant fees. Also the baby isn't covered at all, other than for a review by a pediatrician soon after birth. I guess that means it would be NHS for all baby care, including NICU if necessary.

Can anyone give some experience on the overall costs? And any experience of how things work if you mix NHS and private care.

Thanks!

MrsM there are ways to encourage people to support students without using the word 'disheartening' and using the guilt trip example of how these same people will be doing x or y operation on you in the future.

I think if you want to promote it, then understanding the sensitivity of the subject and being able to use phrases that are positive rather than play on the emotive and, yes, guilt of patients is hugely important.

You're lucky to get the insurance coverage! I was declined as despite the fact my insurer (Cigna) agreeing I needed an ELCS, because my condition was related to a previous pregnancy, they declined it. The nurse who rang me to tell me this was very apologetic and agreed it was unfair. I was hoping for a breech baby to justify the insurance, but no such luck!!

Do you have a TAC out of interest if your cervix has been removed? As that is what I have - mine was placed by Nick Wales and I know Prof Bennett does them too. I had a TAC placed as I had what was left of an incompetent cervix mangled up by scar tissue from preterm labour with a TVC.

Coincidentally I delivered my second TAC baby (first was by Nick Wales, or rather one of his registrars at Chelsea and Westminster) at Watford and transferred to the Knutsford Suite - paid for out of pocket at £410/night - stayed in for two nights. Watford is now my local hospital as I moved since I had my first TAC baby.

My consultant was NHS as was all my antenatal care. Her name was Miss Coker and she told me she had worked with Mr Wales in the past so she had some experience with TACs. She is very good and exceptionally technically competent (everybody I have spoken to speaks extremely highly of her and she is very senior there) so I couldn't have been in better hands really. There was never any question of ELCS, nobody doubted it for a second.

So if you don't find another way forward with your current consultant team, and/or you quite fancy the luxury of the Knutsford (worth every single penny, it really was - even better for free!) without the associated consultant costs, asking for an NHS referral to Miss Coker at Watford could be something to consider.

Good luck!