Please read this warning about obstetrician Berrin Tezcan before considering her services. I have found her to be obnoxious, self-serving, deliberately passive aggressive and rude and I believe she has breached medical ethics in her dishonest and underhand dealings with me and my unborn baby, in a way that I believe compromises my safety and has caused me harm. I have raised these issues with both the hospital she operates at and the GMC. I do not recommend Berrin Tezcan if you want to feel safe and well-supported in pregnancy or other obstetric and gynaecological services
I selected Berrin Tezcan for my second pregnancy. The end-to-end package is £8,000 payable in two parts. I paid the first half and the same week attended my first appointment in the package; this appointment necessitated “standard” blood tests. At the end of my appointment I was shocked to be asked to pay £950 for the blood tests as I was leaving. I asked why, if these were “standard” blood tests they weren’t included in the package. I said what kind of organisation doesn’t tell someone in advance that they are having a procedure of any kind that costs £950. Most people can’t just suddenly meet a £950 charge without notice. The reception were confrontational and said they could always throw away all the blood samples. Not really getting that this whole sequence of events were completely out of order. I paid the £950 and then received a completely rude and obnoxious phone call from Berrin Tezcan. She said I can’t treat you if you don’t have the tests, she made a deliberately offensive comment saying if you can’t afford private health treatment you shouldn’t have it. She completely missed the point of my concern that the charges should have been pre-communicated and that she was managing patient expectations in a dire manner. I was appalled that she didn’t simply apologise for the bad communications and instead took it upon herself to be rude and offensive to me. After this point I really didn’t like or trust her at all; this interaction perfectly exemplifies her character and attitude towards others. Following this I sent WHD and Berrin Tezcan a clear email saying that it would be better for patients if standard tests were included/added to the package price and failing that could she send me a list of all upcoming expected charges and diagnostic testing so I could liaise with my GP about getting things like a Full Blood Count on the NHS as I didn’t see the point in being tricked and coerced into again paying £950 for a bunch of tests that are freely and easily available to me locally at The Tessa Jowell Centre. Berrin Tezcan tried to dodge the question saying that the tests depend on what happens, but I said I was asking about standard tests. I never received this information from WHD.
The other thing to note more generally around this theme is that at every single appointment WHD tried to create extra charges, that hadn’t been pre-communicated. E.g. most appointments don’t include scans so expect that you will be given a scan and then stung for £125 at the end of each appointment; even though if she is insisting on doing these as standard I believe Berrin Tezcan should be offering these/clearly communicating them in the package.
The next problem occurred when I received a text the morning of my 16 week scan saying it was cancelled. It turned out this was because of a burglary at WHD, which obviously is out of anyone’s control. What however was within the team’s control was promptly rearranging my 16 week scan. The team showed no concern about promptly rearranging my scan and I was treated rudely when I tried to point out that I wanted to rearrange the scan as soon as practicable. The way they treated me was like I had messed them around rearranging appointments, not the other way around. In the end I had wait over two weeks for my 16-week scan to be arranged through no fault of my own. I didn’t think it was an acceptable standard when you are paying for end-to-end private care. This is yet another example of my best-interests not being considered, and it was important to me as I have lost a lot of pregnancies.
Later on in the process I was referred up to the Portland to book in for birth. There were factual mistakes about my medical history in the documentation Berrin Tezcan sent to the Portland. I pointed this out but a few weeks later Berrin Tezcan sent through the same documentation with the same mistakes. This started to make me feel reasonably concerned about my safety.
By this point I felt that I could not raise any problems with Berrin Tezcan as she never acknowledged or apologised for problems and mistakes, never took ownership and consistently reacted in a passive aggressive and insulting way. She did offer me a few free scans; so each appointment would have had a free scan but I generally didn’t trust her and tried to make sure my husband always came and I didn’t deal with her on the phone.
At an appointment during May I was charged £180 for a swab. I assumed because it was being insisted on it couldn’t be available on the NHS. However I now know that yet again Berrin Tezcan ignored/forgot my clear communication about having such tests on the NHS.
At my last appointment at 28 weeks we had a totally appalling experience. Berin Tezcan told my husband and I the gender of our baby, even though we had told her we didn’t want to know. Now either she forgot and told us which is concerning and not on when you are paying for end-to-end care, or she just did it because she is vindictive and horrible and again doesn’t care about her patients’ best interests. I strongly believe it was the latter and she did this on purpose. My husband and I looked at each other and didn’t say anything. It was so weird and I knew it would be too awkward if I called her out on it. I was actually really upset and angry, you only have babies very occasionally during one life-time and I felt that Berrin Tezcan had totally spoiled an important part of our experience and that she had done it on purpose. At this appointment I was told to have a pre-gestational diabetes check and had been emailed in advance. I had checked the cost of £180, so I assumed that as per my instructions/request this was not available on the NHS. When I left the appointment I was told please pay £530. I was like “why”? They said we have taken Full Blood Count, Antibodies and Gestational Diabetes. I said I didn’t know about FBC/Antibodies you have taken those samples without even telling me. Why am I being charged for this. I was furious and told them to throw the samples away. It coincided that week I spoke to my GP for a regular catch up and told her my gestational diabetes had come back requiring further testing. She said I don’t know what to do as the process is for you to have all the rounds of testing at Kings. I don’t know how to refer you mid-point into the process. So again I realised that Berrin Tezcan had either forgotten my request about my care and how I wanted it to work or she had lied to me again to trick me into paying for yet more unnecessary testing privately. At was really angry and concerned about my safety. It also had a negative health implication for me as it caused a delay on my gestational diabetes diagnosis which I believe puts me and my baby at risk; I had to start the process again. At this point I really felt like I had to say something. I emailed WHD explaining my anger and upset that I have been repeatedly ignored and/or mislead about the testing. I sent the email on the same chain as my original email explaining my desire for transparency about testing not included in my package. I was surprised (at 29 weeks pregnant) to receive an email from Berrin Tezcan a few minutes later not apologising, but refusing to continue my treatment.
So at 29 weeks pregnant and in the middle of being diagnosed as a high-risk pregnancy with the Covid implication of making me clinically vulnerable, and after paying £8,000 for end-to-end care to try to make myself feel safe during pregnancy my arrogant and deceitful and rude obstetrician selfishly and unethically yet again undermines my safety and the safety of my unborn baby with her self-serving and dismissive behaviours.
When I received the email I was physically shaking and felt sick. I was in tears. I couldn’t believe a doctor could behave this way. She is a law unto herself and thinks she can answer to nobody.
I spent the rest of the evening speaking to my friends in the medical profession (who were appalled) and have since managed to find another obstetrician who is an absolute angel and taking great care of me. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I have had to spend two mornings in hospital since this dire ordeal with Berrin Tezcan as my obstetrician came to an end.
WHD are also not only leaving me in the lurch but refusing to refund me in full while simultaneously putting me in such a dangerous and damaging position. I wanted end-to-end care for my pregnancy and whatever happens now I don’t have that. I have found Dr Berrin Tezcan to be completely vindictive, self-serving and untrustworthy and you don’t want that for any pregnancy. If this had been my first pregnancy I don’t know what I would have done; I don’t think I would have been able to cope with this situation.
You have been warned!!!