For women seeking information about Prince of Wales Private Obstetricians, the following information is a guide written by Dr Rahul Sen who is currently a practising obstetrician at the Prince of Wales Private Hospital in Randwick Sydney and the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick.
About the Prince of Wales Private Hospital
The Prince of Wales Private Hospital is purely a private hospital, and it is generally better geared for private patients. The main advantage of POWPH is that there is a night nursery, where the staff can look after your newborn baby for a few hours overnight, and allow you some much needed sleep.
There is also the very popular Little Luxuries programme – the hospital has created a post-natal “ward” on the 6th floor at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Coogee for post-natal women. There is a midwife present 24 hours per day, and, if eligible, you can spend half your post-natal stay in the hotel. The cost is covered by your fund, unless you are with NIB. The hospital has more operating theatres in action than RHW, if you need an emergency caesarean section during the day, and is happy to support elective caesarean section if you want one. The hospital’s new caesarean policy allows you to breastfeed in the recovery room of the operating theatres. This is achievable for most caesarean sections, and is a significant improvement on the old system.
The main disadvantage of POWPH is the shortage of single rooms. Because of that you are most likely to spend your first night in a shared room with one other woman, even though it is a private hospital. Also the quality and consistency of post-natal care can be patchy, because the hospital relies on agency and non-midwifery staff on the post-natal wards. The midwives also spend a lot of time moving patients because there are not enough single rooms. The hospital is less flexible regarding length of stay – 4 nights following a vaginal birth and 5 nights following a caesarean.
I hope that this helps with your choice of hospitals. It is something that we can discuss further at your booking visit. Parking reminder: when you come in to hospital to have your baby please remember to buy a 5 day car park pass, as this will reduce your parking cost significantly.