What to expect to pay for private maternity care in London
After opting for consultant-led private maternity care, several friends without children asked me about how much it cost to go private. It’s obviously good to know. Just in case.
But it’s not like buying a new car with one agreed price. The prices can vary significantly, and it will depend on the patient and the circumstances, which are of course impossible to predict.
The main costs to consider are consultant fees, hospital fees and fees for additional nights in hospital, but there are also a number of other charges, such as blood tests, ultrasound scans, a potential epidural and more.
According to prices available online from different private maternity units, I’ve now found hospital fees ranging from £3935 to £6400 for a normal delivery and the first night stay. Caesarean sections are more expensive, and after a caesarean it’s also common to stay additional nights in hospital, bringing the price up further.
The consultant fees vary depending on whether you book in with a consultant from early pregnancy or later, but some consultants publish prices online. Based on the prices I’ve found online, many private patients could expect to pay £7000 or more in consultant fees for antenatal care and delivery when booking in from early pregnancy. On the Westminster Maternity Suite website, however, it says that consultant fees are around £5500.
When I was pregnant with Baby Girl, we probably also spent around £1000 on blood tests and scans.
Happy counting!
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Some insurance plans cover private maternity care although this is usually customised by your employer/partner’s employer. Even if insurance covers private maternity costs, both the hospital and consultant usually require up-front deposits (usually half of the amount) which insurance companies (e.g. Allianz, BUPA, Cigna) will not reimburse you for until after the birth of the baby. In order to save on costs, I’ve had friends go NHS up until 20 weeks and then went private. The only issue is finding a consultant who is available to take you once you are that far along, but I have heard from friends this wasn’t necessarily an issue for them.
Thank you, Ellen! Good point re insurance.