Best hospital in Dublin?

ManUnited123

Hi Guys -

So me and the Misses found out a few weeks back that we are pregnant and expecting a baby!

I'm not from Ireland so i'm kind of confused about the whole process. I have health insurance (VHI) through my employer and apparently there's a bunch of things which VHI are already covering on their plan. I will discuss with them to see what's covered and what's not in detail but i'm having trouble understanding the Public/Semi-Private/Private hospitals.

I'd like to go for a the Private room/hospital option as i heard the doctor is the same for each visit plus it would be good to have a private room as well. I'm okay to pay extra if my insurance doesn't cover it however which hospital is the best private hospital in Dublin for pregnancy? I think there's only 2-3 hospitals where i can have my baby in Dublin (National maternity, Rotunda, Coombe). Which one is the best?

Thanks !

Confused To-Be Father

LorelaiG

They're all much the same tbh... and you're not guaranteed a private room either.

ManUnited123

LorelaiG wrote: »

They're all much the same tbh... and you're not guaranteed a private room either.

Is there a private hospital in Dublin where one can have a baby?

witchgirl26

They're all the same. We went for the Coombe as it's a bit nearer us and had parking facilities. As LorelaiG said, you can elect for a private room (even as a semi-private patient) but it doesn't guarantee you one really. Not only is it a first come, first served basis on the rooms, if there is someone who needs to be isolated for any reason, they will take precedent.
I attended the Coombe and saw pretty much the same doctor the whole time. Saw the consultant twice and then her registrar the other times.
If you go private or semi-private you will have to pay the costs yourself first and then reclaim from VHI. So semi-private in the Coombe you pay for each of the scans and an upfront fee of €750. I was able to claim a portion of this back from VHI. It's only the in-patient part that they will pay for without you having to get involved.
Honestly I didn't see the point in going private and would even wonder if I was to have another about going semi-private. Public is very good. Main difference, from friends telling me, is the time waiting at appointments.

sowdublin

Congratulations on the happy news! Hope all goes well for you.

I'm due with my second one beginning of August. I am attending Coombe Private. My Consultant Ob comes highly recommended. One of the best in Dublin. If you can afford it, I would suggest going for fully private.

I went semi private with my first and felt not looked after at all, both during and after pregnancy. I had a traumatic birth experience and there was non existent after care, it made me have second thoughts about having another child. This time, the care given to me has been wonderful. I'm expecting better post natal care too, fingers crossed.

In terms of hospital, whichever is convenient location to you I suppose. A few of my friends went to Rotunda / NMH as it was closer to their workplace for appointments etc. They also speak very highly of both Rotunda and NMH.

If you want more details about the consultant, fees etc feel free to pm. Congratulations again and all the best!

shesty

No there is no private hospital.The Irish health system is bewildering.If you go private, you basically attend a consultant's private clinic in or on the grounds of ome of the three main Dublin hospitals.When you give birth, you will be doing it in the main delivery suite in the main hospital, which is same set of rooms used by all patients, public/private/semi-private.Your consultant will be in attendance if you go private.Aftercare will take place in a separate ward or room in the main hospital building.We don't really do private hospitals exactly, we settle for allowing private care to mostly happen in our public hospitals.

Personally we were in the Rotunda and they were amazing in there.Fully private is 3500-4k there for everything, semi-private is 1100 for everything (all scans, bloods etc included).

lazygal

Went fully private in Holles Street every time. Worth the money, I didn't like the care I got in the public clinics when I had to deal with them occasionally. My consultant delivered all three and I got a private room each time. As I had to have C sections the room and bathroom to myself was absolutely essential for me.

If it's a low risk pregnancy and you're in south Dublin I'd recommend the Domino scheme at Holles St/NMH. It's a public scheme so it's free. I chose it when I was in Dublin even though I had private health insurance. Really cannot praise Domino enough. Much shorter waiting times for appointments and they have clinics all over south Dublin and even north Wicklow. They also have a nicer birthing room (although you won't get it if there's somebody else in there) and you get to go home as early as 6 hours after the birth. They come and visit you at home and take care of you there for up to 10 days after the birth. They've a pretty small number of midwives so you'll get to know them all throughout the pregnancy. They even do a monthly get together for Domino mums after.

I think, to an extent, it depends on what kind of birth experience and care you want. Personally, my priority is to avoid interventions (induction, forceps, C section etc.) and have as natural a birth as possible. But I also want to be in an environment where I know I'm safe if anything goes wrong so not a home birth. I'm not too bothered about the public/private room thing.

As it happens, I was just talking to my OB in Galway today and he said all the patients love Domino and NMH have the lowest rates of interventions in the country because the midwives run the place to a greater extent than elsewhere.

lazygal

The problem with the Domino scheme/midwife led scheme is that you're shunted out into the public system when complications arise. I had complications on my first, never ever expected them to arise at my 20 week scan. If I'd been midwife led I wouldn't have been able to opt for the consultant I wanted, I'd have had to either take whoever was available or put up with the public system. I didn't expect to have a c section but I had no other option, and being private gave me access to a private room and a consultant I knew for delivery. Some people I know were shunted out of the scheme because of pretty minor complications too, like blood pressure being slightly high one week.
I know these schemes are popular and some people have a great experience but it's worth being aware of what might and can happen too.

shesty

To be fair, I had three via the Rotunda semi-private and I had natural births on all three with a midwife only (and a student on one I think!) in attendance.I avoided private because I didn't want a doctor there unless necessary and if I went fully private a consultant would have to be present regardless of whether they were needed or not.But it is very much each to their own

Lia_lia

The problem with the Domino scheme/midwife led scheme is that you're shunted out into the public system when complications arise.

Good point about the Domino scheme. I was on the Domino scheme in CUMH. Had to option of going private and probably would have if the Domino scheme wasn't available to me. Was great, no waiting time for appointments and the idea of a low intervention birth appeals to me a lot. However, I was kicked off it at 28 weeks due to being diagnosed with Gestational diabetes. Was really, really upset over it as I loved the Domino scheme. Also had no risk factors for GD so the whole thing was a big shock.

Went onto the "normal" public system which is great. Only thing I don't like is the waiting times for appointments. I've heard going private can have long waiting times also as the consultant can get called out, so shorter waiting times cannot be guaranteed. Since 32 weeks I've asked to see the (same) consultant at every visit which is no problem. I also had to go to an endocrinologist due to being on insulin which can cost an extra €500+ in some hospitals if you are going private. So something to keep in mind! Haven't had the baby yet (any day now) so will see what my opinion of the public system is after that :pac: Luckily in Cork most of the public "wards" are 2 bed...

With regards hospitals I'd go with whichever one is handiest. There used to be a private hospital but it shut down.

greenttc

I second the big advantage of the domino scheme if you were public. and even if you don't do the domino scheme the scheme that allows you to go home early after the birth is only available through public, not private. They put me in a palatial private room with diamond chandeliers and silver service dining after, nothing beats going home after birth and not having to stay in a hospital. I actually think it is bizarre that the public system has this advantage over the private, seems to be all about making money to me. (and probably freeing up public beds, but still!)

Millem

Congrats OP.
The stumbling block on going private regardless of your health insurance is the consultant’s fee.
I am guessing they are €3,500 and up.
Your health insurance will more than likely refund you €250-€500. You are paying for continuity of care. For me it was worth it.
Your health insurance covers your hospital stay.

I personally wouldn’t consider any other option if I had another child.

Getting a private room is a lottery. I choose the Rotunda as apparently they have the least amount of private patients. Having my own en suite room was worth it’s weight in gold. The midwives on the private ward did not seem to be as over stretched compared to the ones in the public ward in Holles Street.

Some consultants from the Rotunda and the Coombe are working out of the Evie Clinic in Sandyford which might be handy for you?

The Coombe apparently has the most private rooms. I just found it impossible to get any of the secretarys to answer the phone!!!! I think it has a car park too?

I've been lucky in that all of my pregnancies have been straightforward but I'm surprised to hear that you can't choose to go private if you have to leave the Domino scheme. My understanding of the health care system in general is that if you're a public patient you always have the option of moving to private, but not vice versa. I always thought that as a public patient I was keeping my options open but perhaps there's a different rule for maternity care?

Funny you mention continuity of care, Millem. That was one of my reasons for choosing the Domino scheme! There's a limited number of midwives and you get to know them all during pregnancy. I think it's also important to say that you're not actually guaranteed to get the obstetrician of your choice when you go private. If your OB is on leave or busy with another patient when you go into labour, you'll be assigned to another doctor. Of course, you still have a much higher chance of getting an OB you know than a public patient does. Similarly, if you're on the Domino scheme and all the Domino midwives are busy when you go into labour you could end up with somebody you've never met.

Peatys

ManUnited123 wrote: »

Is there a private hospital in Dublin where one can have a baby?

Yes, but if anything goes wrong, they'll move ye to holles st. Best just go there to avoid any unnecessary travel mid labour.

lazygal

You can go private moving from the Domino scheme but you're left with whichever consultant can take you as a patient 20 weeks or more into pregnancy and there's usually no reduction in fees. When I looked into it I didn't want to take the risk of having to move from one system to another.
All three Dublin hospitals deal with complex issues, not just Holles Street.

Millem

I rarely saw the same midwife when doing Domino.
On the house visits I had the head one twice....apart from that it was different ones every day. I found it really annoying getting conflicting advice on breastfeeding and jaundice.

I saw my consultant for all my visits apart from one. He was not there when I had my baby who was 3 weeks early. I had met other consultant previously. I really didn’t care as long as I had expertise on hand in case I needed it.
I found the two experiences a world apart tbh.
If you can afford the fees go for it!

GavMan

Peatys wrote: »

Yes, but if anything goes wrong, they'll move ye to holles st. Best just go there to avoid any unnecessary travel mid labour.

I don't think you are correct here. There hasn't been a private maternity hospital since Mount Carmel closed

Peatys

GavMan wrote: »

I don't think you are correct here. There hasn't been a private maternity hospital since Mount Carmel closed

Oh right, didn't know mount Carmel closed.
I'm a long time out of that loop thank fully