Going private at St Thomas'

[1stTimeMummy]

Hi All

Is there anyone out there who is going private (or has done in the past) at St Thomas'?

I'm considering it at the moment and would be interested in hearing about others experiences.

Thanks

Molly

bumping as I'm sure some people have done

they don't have midwife led care at the moment apparently

Just bumping this again as am still considering it. Change my mind every second day and just trying to figure out what you get for your money besides a private room.

Anyone done it?

have you been to look round?

waste of £££.

depends on what you want though, highly managed and medicalized, then go for it.

Gentle birth, where your needs as a birthing mother are net, forget it.

what sort of birth do you want??????

I went nhs as St Thomas - that was all fine, but I wish I'd booked a private room post natal (about gbp100), as I was woken all night and dh could not stay to help. The medical care is the same for the birth though

I gave birth to ds at St Thomas on the NHS. We got a fantastic huge individual room, brand new with excellent views over the River Thames and Big Ben. We stayed in that room till we were dicharged from that room 18 hours after the birth.

If that's NHS, I can't see how private could match that!

Same experience here as GWU we went NHS and had fantastic care on the home from home unit. "hen we had our birth tour, we were told that if you had an intervention-free birth at the home from home unit (midwife led) then nothing is any different really, you already get an enormous room with en-suite, bed for your partner to stay in etc. In fact, I think the private room didn't have the views of the river either. However, my friend ended up with an induction etc and had to be monitored, then went to the post-natal ward and had a terrible time. SO I would agree with what the others said, and if you're going for lots of high-tech stuff, probably go with the private room, otherwise, stick with NHS perhaps?

I would also highly recommend you talk to Birth Centre even if its just for a chat, as they were very kind and helpful when we were considering going private. For info, Caroline Flint, who is the lead midwife for this centre, delivered all of Davina McCall's babies at home. The midwife I spoke to wasn't pushy at all, and actually just talked to me for about an hour about my options.

Girls

Thanks very much for your answers. I did go in and see the home from home rooms and I agree with you - they were perfect, however I don't think I will be in one.

I have a very low pain threshold and will probably be gagging for an epidural. Also I'm slightly higher risk for C section due to having a fibroid so am trying to get my head in the zone for this.

Hello Mama/Oranges, definately one of my biggest concerns from things friends have said to me is staying in the postnatal ward and being kept awake all night, in particular if you were in for a c-section and in there for a few days.

Maybe the answer is to go NHS but book a private room for afterwards.

Thanks again for the replies

Would def agree about doing it NHS and then having private room afterwards. I had my baby there-- the labour suite was absolutely fine but the post-natal ward was depressing, noisy and filthy. It was 6 years ago so may have improved but I think if I had a baby again I'd def get a private room. To be able to have some peace and quiet and privacy at a time like that would have made the early days a lot better, i reckon.

Bluejelly

Thanks a million for your reply. Its great to hear from people who've been there and done it so to speak.

Much appreciated.

M

I had DS1 there, birth ok but he was a c/section and really the ward was awful, dirty and noisy and medical staff almost all contract staff not NHS. They discharged me without painkillers

Ds2 also there, also c/section (which was Not in the birth plan) and DH got me a private room on the spot which was quiet and clean.

What do you get for your money? SLEEP. MEDICAL CARE. all the things the NHS would like you to have but cannot deliver in c london

No guarantee of a private room unless you book first tho', my friend asked every day she was in after ger c/section and failed

Reading this with great interest when are you due ftm I may see you there? I'm sure Gwu is describing the Home from home which of course (like everything NHS) you will only get if it is available and is very low intervention. I'm considering a private room this time round as well only prob is I don't trust the staff so will be asking my mw about it more next time. The post natal wards are horrendous (I am working myself up in to a bit of a state about it at the mo.) I'm sure they are only slightly worse than most others. Crowded, noisy filthy doesn't really do it justice I can't square the gangs of young men roaming the place with the "only 3 visitors per patient" policy. Enormous numbers of out of control children too. Fridays child can I ask what visiting is like in private room, where they are? and a rough idea of cost. Also did you have to pay extra for paed to check baby, drugs etc or was the charge purely for the room? Thanks in advance

Hi Holiday

I'm due February 14th, how about you. After reading these responses and comments on the post natal ward, I've decided I'm definately going to book a private room (hope to goodness they still got availability after all my dithering). I have a nasty feeling its around £600 per night but I guess if the birth is straight forward you'd only be in for one night. My view is, if I have to have a c-section and am in for longer - we probably won't be having much in the line of holidays this year, so the money can go towards this (of course am completely in denial about how much all the baby stuff is going to cost). Can I ask why you are worried about the care in the private room - I just assumed it would be pretty much the same as in the ward, if not better. Have you any children already and if so, did you have them at St Thomas's?

M

The private rooms are £600 a night, that's for the room...you don'tpay for any medical care for you or your baby. But you can't book in advance, you just have to hope there is one free on the day you give birth. There are only 6 rooms, and they get very busy so no guarantees at all. Only way to guarantee one is to go fully private for all antenatal care, delivery and postnatal care.

I looked round but went with the Portland instead.

I thought the delivery rooms were fabulous, but the main ward horrific.

x

1stTimeMummy, just wanted to say that St Thomas has a 1st rate neonatal ICU and Special Care Baby Unit. Not that you expect to need it, but it is reassuring nonetheless.

I delivered on NHS and after 1 night on the ward (yes, what the other posters said are true), I got a private room with a fantastic view and en suite for free for a week due to an emergency c-section and baby in NICU. But dh had to press for it and was subject to availability.

Hope it goes well for you.

600 POUNDS (I would be shouting that if it wasn't for the fact that everyone here is asleep) I thought it was more like 100. My SIL had a private room in Lewisham and she says it was about 50 pounds (only just over 1 year ago). Good thought about swapping it for a holiday!!Thanks spudballoo I think that has made that decision for us can't wait to see what my dh says in the morning.
FTM Valentine's baby how sweet my best friends birthday! I'm having one for Christmas myself. Have 2 allready both at Tommy's (I actually think it's getting worse and worse with each one, the hospital/NHS that is not the births!)midwife was fine the first time, second time didn't get a midwife. Post natal first time was OK complicated personal reasons why it wasn't "good" if that makes sense. Post natal second time was horrendous, we will need to stay for a bit this time which means we have been told we will be chucked out of the H from H in around 4 hours so I will explore the self discharge option a bit I think. I'm having trouble putting in to words why I am more distrustful of the care in the private rooms it is certainly a general feeling not one gained from personal experience if that helps. I will think some more about how to say it and maybe post tomorrow/later in weekend. I slept really badly last night thinking about the postnatal ward. I think it is my hormonal state working myself up although my dh did agree to a private room in a flash this morning when we thought it ws about 100 pounds. I now really see why I'm jealous of my friend who had hers near Bath and got about a week in a private room in local cottage husband with unlimited visiting for her dh just "because" rather than for medical reasons.

Isn't it awful that everyone frets about the postnatal wards, at just about every hospital? At 'normal' hospitals the private rooms are about £100 a night. But at St Thomas', because they have a separate 'private ward' you pay more for all the trimmings. Private rooms in 'normal' hospitals are pretty functional, but private none the less.

I had my first baby at the Homerton, and had a private room given to me after a traumatic delivery and being very poorly. If you elect for one, if they are free, it's about £70.00.

If you're very anxious about it, and I totally sympathise, perhaps look at another hospital with 'normal' private rooms? But again you do run in to the same problem that you can't ever guarantee getting one, even if you pay, as they are allocated to ladies with problems e.g post section first.

I agree re the cottage hospital thing. I have friends in somerset, and she gave birth in a big teaching hospital and then transferred to the local cottage hospital for a week for a rest. Lovely!!

xx

spudballoo - what trimmings do you get for the 600 quid? do you get private nursing care etc? better food?

The Blonde, do they really not have midwife care at the moment?

They were desperately short of midwives when I was in the midwife led unit three years ago. Room was nice but it was frankly dangerous having one midwife to SEVEN women. Midwife wanted to transfer me to hospital birth unit but they only had one midwife there too! That's why I ended up with a third degree tear - no midwife around when I started pushing.

Thing is, the head of midwifery was really senior in her profession - a national figure in her field. So i'm shocked that, if what you say is right, instead of recruiting more midwives, they've abandoned midwife-led care.

Edam - yes on mw led private care, the mw has retired apparently. Discovered this when I asked for prices etc when considering booking in

Oh, so the no m/w stuff only applies to private patients? Guess their midwives are just too busy. That's fair enough - wouldn't have been impressed if there'd been a shortage caused by midwives running off to look after paying customers.

You get a nice big single room, with ensuite. You get different food, but the woman who showed me around pointed out it's still NHS food and said they provide fridges so that husbands can bring in food.....great. £600 a night and your husband is still brining in food for you!

I don't know about midwife to private patient ratio I'm afraid. I never got to the stage of asking and went to the Portland instead.

Agree spudballoo (re the fretting) I do tend to say on here (when giving my opinion of P/N wards at St Thomas') that I'm sure they are no more horrendous thatn most other places (Somerset/Avon cottage hospitals aside!!) and as I said in my hormonal state I'm working myself up a bit I know. Can't switch (medical reasons-or would certainly be ill-advised to). Also agree totally that the single rooms on the ward should be reserved for those without babies etc. I guess the lack of midwife led care is the knd of thing I'm referring too when saying that it's not really the "private healthcare" I want just a decent ward, I do think it would be fine if they stuck to at least some of their rules and tried to make some areas where "families" could go.

Can I also say (and you're all really going to doubt my taste here) that the food was fab when I was there with my first. I was starving when it came round though. I know they only get about 1.20 pounds a day and I don't know how they do it for that.