Private care - is this normal?

tobdom

cornflake1 wrote: »

Was with Louise Kenny and she delivered my baby and stitched my first degree tear. When you go private you are told that there is no guarantee that your consultant will attend the birth, so maybe that is what you are thinking of?

Clearly all of this anecdotal eveidence suggests that 'what you get for your money' going Private varies greatly across the regions. In Galway, going Private, while you are not guaranteed to have your own consultant present for the delivery, you will have a consultant (if your consultant is on holidays for example, they'll have cover arranged for their private patients).

Our consultant was at the end of her holidays when our baby was coming, but rang in on a Sat night to see if any of her patients were in, she came in and delivered the baby (at nearly midnight), did the stitching etc. and called in the following day (with her kids) to check up on us. Great experience.

lazygal

Can only speak for the people I know but those who went private had a consultant present for births and postnatal care in Holles Street and other Dublin hospitals. It might not be your chosen person but my consultant had a specific person covering her patients when she was away and he saw me in lieu of her.

Beanybabog

What's wrong with people's stitches?? I never even thought of that. I suppose I assumed whoever does stitches knows what they're doing. I had an episitomy and then MROP so a doctor did mine in theater.

lazygal

If you've someone on their first rotation in OBGYN I'm not going to let them near me, give me someone who's done this more times than they can count. I know someone who got serious infections from stitches done in Holles Street, to the point where it took her a year to heal properly. She'll only let an experienced consultant near her after what happened.

Beanybabog

lazygal wrote: »

If you've someone on their first rotation in OBGYN I'm not going to let them near me, give me someone who's done this more times than they can count. I know someone who got serious infections from stitches done in Holles Street, to the point where it took her a year to heal properly. She'll only let an experienced consultant near her after what happened.

Jaysus! I definitely had a junior do mine, my birth (epi and ventouse) was done by a doctor overseen by another one. However the MROP and stitches were all double checked again though by the other doctor .

lazygal

Beanybabog wrote: »

Jaysus! I definitely had a junior do mine, my birth (epi and ventouse) was done by a doctor overseen by another one. However the MROP and stitches were all double checked again though by the other doctor .

Different kettle of fish to have that level of oversight!
TBH you hear stories about every aspect of child birth. A mother in my children's school had complications after a section, she chose private care and a 'superstar' in the words of other staff to have her last child and ended up having an awful time for months. Like all health care, it can be inherently risky.

shesty

I think we forget that childbirth is nature and not a medical procedure......short of C-sectioning everyone, medical people have to let nature run it's course to a certain degree and then make decisions based on how things are going. (Obviously stitching is bit different).

jlm29

shesty wrote: »

I think we forget that childbirth is nature and not a medical procedure......short of C-sectioning everyone, medical people have to let nature run it's course to a certain degree and then make decisions based on how things are going. (Obviously stitching is bit different).

Totally... and I think that sometimes having private care raises the likelihood of having sections, though that's very dependant on both the mum and the consultant. The consultant I've gone to is very in favour of letting things run on naturally- but then, so am I, so I don't know how she'd be if someone was rocking in looking for an elective section for no good reason. I'm pretty sure I'd have been sectioned on my first if she hadn't been there, with her calm head, letting me get on with things.

lazygal

I returned to my consultant because she's really in favour of intervening as early as possible and was open to agreeing to a second section! I definitely felt in the public system I would have been less able to have my voice heard as I was dealing with a different person (and personality) every time.

meeeeh

I went private first time and public second time. Both were combined care with GP. I was classed as high risk pregnancy second time. I got more tests done as public patient. I'm not sure I even got bloods done as private patient. The consultant was the same both time but I also saw underlings at some appointments the second time. The only difference between them and my consultant was their attitude to drinking coffee. Consultant was way more relaxed about it so I listened to him. I got scan whenever I had hospital/consultant appointment. Consultant appointments tended to be more rushed and wait time slightly shorter but the drive was longer so it usually took less time in total as public patient.

I had no issues being seen by GP every so often and I was lucky both times to get private room. Consultant was not present at either of births but he did the stiching after first one. I didn't need stitches second time. For me the private care is not worth the money.

Edit: I went to Mullingar hospital.

missjuly

All this talk of consultants vs registrars etc. I'm a bit nervous I'm being booked in for a second section I'm in the Rotunda. I'm a public patient. For my first section 3 years ago a consultant went through my options and then booked my C section. I didn't really think too much about who was doing it to be honest I think in my notes was signed off as senior registrar and their name. I had no issues had dissolvable stitches scar was fine. I had a very positive experience from the staff all the way along ( bar one miwidfe post birth). But this time around I feel more clued in and I am nervous of someone really junior doing it. I'm getting my date at next appointment when I'll be 37 weeks would I be able to request a senior registrar does my section? I have seen one senior registrar, two registrars and one SHO at my antenatal appointments and the thought of them operating on me bar the senior registrar makes me so so nervous.

shesty

I would be extremely surprised if a junior anything was let do a C-Section.I would think surely a senior registrar at the very least, but really a consultant, would be doing it.

California Dreamer

Hi folks, I have had a good read through all this and I think I am more confused than I was.

So my OH is inbound in March 2018. The only thing is that she has yet to move to Ireland from Australia. The plan is for her to be living in Ireland by December by which stage she will be 25 weeks. Now she has had all the scans done, and will be getting another one done just before she moves to Ireland.

I am looking at the private option, I suppose the opinion I want is would you think the consultants would be reduced price based on probably seeing her for the first time at 28/30 weeks.

I also want to opt for the Coombe. She is covered on my health insurance for the last year.

Any thoughts from anyone if I am making any sense?

lazygal

Your best bet is to call every private consultant in the Coombe and ask about your circumstances.

shesty

I would add to that that you should preferably try to talk directly to the consultant and not relay messages through their secretaries.

jlm29

As above- it will depend largely on the consultant. I know someone who switched from public to private at 20 weeks, and got a reduction, but it’s totally at the consultants discretion. Also, remember that there’s a lot more input in the last trimester than the first two, so the reduction (if any) might not be terribly much. In reality, she might be only three appointments less than someone who has been there from the start

lazygal

I think I had four appointments max both times before 20 weeks. First time I was then seen fortnightly and then weekly due to complications, second time it was about every three weeks and then weekly. You might be able to negotiate by offering to pay in full upfront.

January

California Dreamer wrote: »

Hi folks, I have had a good read through all this and I think I am more confused than I was.

So my OH is inbound in March 2018. The only thing is that she has yet to move to Ireland from Australia. The plan is for her to be living in Ireland by December by which stage she will be 25 weeks. Now she has had all the scans done, and will be getting another one done just before she moves to Ireland.

I am looking at the private option, I suppose the opinion I want is would you think the consultants would be reduced price based on probably seeing her for the first time at 28/30 weeks.

I also want to opt for the Coombe. She is covered on my health insurance for the last year.

Any thoughts from anyone if I am making any sense?

Some might reduce their price based on the amount of appointments but as others have said, you will have to ring and tell them your circumstances and get some quotes.

Meeeee79

meeeeh wrote: »

I went private first time and public second time. Both were combined care with GP. I was classed as high risk pregnancy second time. I got more tests done as public patient. I'm not sure I even got bloods done as private patient. The consultant was the same both time but I also saw underlings at some appointments the second time. The only difference between them and my consultant was their attitude to drinking coffee. Consultant was way more relaxed about it so I listened to him. I got scan whenever I had hospital/consultant appointment. Consultant appointments tended to be more rushed and wait time slightly shorter but the drive was longer so it usually took less time in total as public patient.

I had no issues being seen by GP every so often and I was lucky both times to get private room. Consultant was not present at either of births but he did the stiching after first one. I didn't need stitches second time. For me the private care is not worth the money.

Edit: I went to Mullingar hospital.

Sorry to drag up an old post but meeeeeh can I ask how u got private room when going public? I'm trying to get my head around it all!

Neyite

Meeeee79 wrote: »

Sorry to drag up an old post but meeeeeh can I ask how u got private room when going public? I'm trying to get my head around it all!

It was probably just down to luck - if all the public beds were occupied then they'd give you one in a private ward in the same way a private bed is subject to availability.

Other reasons might be a risk of infection -either to mother or child, or if it was a particularly complicated or traumatic birth.

meeeeh

Meeeee79 wrote: »

Sorry to drag up an old post but meeeeeh can I ask how u got private room when going public? I'm trying to get my head around it all!

I was placed into private room in antenatal ward after my waters broke when pregnant with the second. I have private insurance and I can't remember if it was because of that or because they were full. In any case the postnatal ward seemed to be pretty full and they asked me if I mind staying in the same room and I gladly accepted. I was mostly left alone though so I don't think it would work that well with first child.

I landed in Mullingar maternity hospital on two other occasions with different complications and I always got private room. When our son needed hospital admission to children's ward we were placed into public room and told that private rooms are mostly kept for infectious diseases.

You have much better chance of getting private room as private patient but there are no guarantees either way.

michellie

Meeeee79 wrote: »

Sorry to drag up an old post but meeeeeh can I ask how u got private room when going public? I'm trying to get my head around it all!

I think it's just luck sometimes. I was in a semi private ward on my daughter in 2008. It was lovely, just 2 beds and the 2nd night I was on my own because the other woman had gone home. I was public then and will be public again this year.

LegacyUser

you are not obliged to attend your Gp but it is a good idea to have one of two visits so they know about you- especially if you need any extra care either during the pregnancy or postnatally. I think most consultants would see you at all visits but it is very easy to clarify this with them at the first visit and say you would be more comfortable with consultant care only- this is generally standard practice in private care anyhow.

jlm29 wrote: »

I doubt your obliged, but different consultants might have different systems, I don't know. As I say, I only went to my gp to be referred to the hospital initially. After that, it was all consultant care.
If I had some extra illness that wasn't really pregnancy related, that's the only time I went to my gp throughout my pregnancies.

If private, you'll only see the consultant in the hospital, you wont ever be seen by anyone else on their team.
I do, however know someone who had her babies in cumh, and she would have seen her gp a fair bit throughout her pregnancies

jlm29

I’d say she’s probably had her baby by now

Toastytoes

AMP2018 wrote: »

you are not obliged to attend your Gp but it is a good idea to have one of two visits so they know about you- especially if you need any extra care either during the pregnancy or postnatally. I think most consultants would see you at all visits but it is very easy to clarify this with them at the first visit and say you would be more comfortable with consultant care only- this is generally standard practice in private care anyhow.

Obliged to attend GP if going private in Galway. Consultant will not see you for all antenatal appointments. I tried but not offered. They’re really only offering semi p in Galway but charging full private fees for it. Officially no semi private option in Galway, which makes sense when you realize they’re giving semi private service but charging full private fees. System in Galway is a bit of a scam imo.