Hi girls

Was interested to read this thread as I too was anxious about the standard of my allocated hospital prior to having my BA.

I had heard the Highgate was fantastic - clean, comfy (even luxuriously decked out, by some people!), great food, amazingly friendly nurses. Clearly some have had unpleasant experiences there - if anything, it's more worrying that there should be so much inconsistency in the hospital's standards. I wouldn't mind paying for a night in a mediocre hospital IF that's what I was told I was getting.

I actually had mine in the Welbeck Hospital near Bond St, London. I read that they failed a Healthcare Commission inspection in 2006 so was naturally concerned that they wouldn't be up to scratch. HMG advised me that they wouldn't send me to a hospital they weren't happy with. I found this very patronising, since HMG are NOT an independent reviewer like the Healthcare Commission.

I was too excited and impatient about having my BA to change the hospital. I went ahead, and was greatly disappointed by the Welbeck Hospital. But you're right, you ARE only in there for a couple of hours (awake, anyway), so as long as you insist on simple hygiene requirements being met (i.e. WATCHING each and every nurse use scrubbing lotion or wearing gloves when they touch you post-op) then other things like the food and furniture shouldn't massively affect your stay.

If anyone wants to hear about my experience at the Welbeck, pls feel free to PM me. However, from what I hear, it's not the most commonly allocated hospital for BAs in London - and I now understand why!

Try to PREVENT any opportunity to arise where you might waste your energy on a formal complaint afterwards. Get the staff to carry out their duties properly whilst you are in there: insist on the hygiene requirements; never be afraid to buzz the call button; insist on better/warmer/more appropriately prepared food. You are a paying client. You would bring any failings to immediately if you were staying in a hotel you should confidently do the same whilst in hospital.

Good luck.

Hi girls,

As I`m due to have my ba done at the Highgate on June 9th, I was wondering if those of you that had your ba`s done there could please give me the heads up on what the place is like, what to expect, what are the staff like there etc? I`d really appreciate the info.


Lise xxx

i went to highgate
no- its not 5* hotel,
but rooms are clean, bright and private.
Bathroom was lovely (not that you use it much)
nurses were lovely and gave me lots of tea and toast because i didn't feel like proper food.
nurses chatted to me and were very efficient
visiting hours are 24/7
I had lovely time there (although i was snoozing for majority)
no complaints whatsoever!
you'll be fine there.
suz
x

Thanks for your reply.

I`m pretty much resigned to the fact that no Hospital is perfect and some people will experience problems at times, others will be happy. I`m just taking it as it comes and if I have any problems whilst I`m at the Highgate then I`ll raise the issue there and then. Apparently we`re asked to fill out a questionaire about the Hospital and the aftercare received so if it`s neccessary I`ll make sure the questionaire contains any details of any problems `should` they arise.

Glad all went well for you at the Highgate and I hope you`re happy with your result?

Take care
Lise xxx

...since my experience there was the complete opposite. Nice enough rooms (i wasn't expecting the Ritz!), very clean, lovely nurses, great menu, tea and coffee on demand, absolutely no complaints whatsoever.

Glad to hear your experience there was ok. I was concerned but spoke to Transform yesterday and felt better after. As I previously posted, I`m not expecting a 5* hotel just decent aftercare, food and information during my time there. I feel alright about having my ba there next Monday now. If there are any problems then I`ll raise the issue there and then but I`m going in with an open mind.

Thanks for your reply.

Lise xxx

Hi Lise

I had my BA with Transform (Dr Lutz) at highgate 4 weeks ago. I thought the reception area was grubby and receptionist was incredibly rude and had her head somewhere the sunshine doesn't see! I took about 45 minutes before I was given a room and then left in there with no explantion of what was happening for at least an hour, then Dr Lutz came to see me (she is lovely) and said I would be going to theatre in 2 hours. An hour later still no sign of any nurse so I went to the nurses staion to inform them I was going to have a ciggy outside! that soon got their attention and all of a sudden they had to see me straight away and I didnt have time for that! When I was eventually taken down to theatre it was with a nurse who spoke little English and it was her first day. She got lost and I had to ask someone for directions to the right room, luckily it turned out to be my aneasthatist! The nurse then disappeared and he couldnt believe they had sent her down with me, apparently she was supposed to stay with me.
Anyway op went very well and the rest of my stay was ok. The room looked like it could do with a lick of paint and a new bathroom but it was not terrible. The food I had there was absolutely gorgeous! I even took photos to send to my mates as it was so well presented! The only problem with the food was they gave me the menu about 45 mins before I went to theatre and at that stage I had gone over 12 hours without food and I was starving!
I have had no problems at all with my BA, I was even out clubbing until the early hours 15 days post op, so on those grounds Highgate may not be a great hotel but they were very good with my actual operation and Transform did text me within 48hrs of being discharged and called me a couple of days later to check I was ok.

Good luck

Lou
xx

Thanks very much for your reply. Although your experience of the Highgate could maybe have been a bit better, it doesn`t sound horrendous.
I`m not expecting a 5* hotel, just a decent aftercare service, as I`ve said before we spend a lot of money and to end up with a bad service is not acceptable. As long as Highgate provides me with a decent level of aftercare, decent food and the neccessary information that I should be receiving during my stay there then I`ll be happy.

I have spoken to Transform this morning and am more than happy with what I`ve discussed and the answers I received. I`m still more than happy with the choice of Company and the Surgeon I`ve chosen, the service I`ve received so far has been second to none so I guess it`s just a case of suck it and see!!

Hope you`re looking after yourself Lou, thanks again for your reply.

Lise xxx

Hello Lise,
I have just had my BA done at the hightgate on 28th may by mark Ho-Adjoe (excellent surgeon) but the Highgate has let me down big time with regards to their admin skills. I paid for the op 3 weeks before and they phoned me on the friday asaying that they did not have a bed!! iwa distraught to say the least and was in tears. They had forgotten to book me onto the register for the op and had overbooked. Anyway, Once sorted I went into the highgate at 5.30 but was not taken to my room until 6.45pm as there had been problems in theatre that morning?? I was asked what paper I wanted in the morning but this was not delivered? they forgot my breakfast aswell. The staff kept on coming into my room thinking it was the cleaners cupboard? There was a whole colaboration of errors which has put me off recommending the hospital. Good luck, you may need it. I am now going to write to complain. However, the staff I did meet were lovely except one male nurse who kept on staring at my new breasts!whilst talking to me. WEIRDO!!
Lisa

Thanks for your reply too.

Bloody hell, I`m really not sure what I`m letting myself in for by the sounds of the place!

As I said on my reply to helen, I`ll be phoning Transform in the morning to discuss the issues other people, (yourself included) have raised about the service at the Highgate. I have no intention at all of accepting a second rate or non existent aftercare service. We all pay enough to ensure it doesn`t happen.

Sorry you had such a crap time at the Highgate but I hope you`re recovering and healing well now.

Lise xxx

Hi Lise,
Thanks you for your reply.
Between me and you my surgeon has said that the administration at the highgate is dialobical and he is thinking of practising elsewhere.
He was so professional along with his PA but the hospitals admin let me down BIG TIME! How simple is it to book someone for an operation?? They simply forgot??! An admin error that has never happended before? Can't quite beleive that somehow.
I am writing the complaint letter tomorrow advising how distressed I was. Not to mention all the phone calls I made chasing up the op. They never even returned my calls until the 11th hour on the friday when everyone was going home for the bank holiday weekend!
For all the money you pay, the service should be first class and their after care which was not!
Thanks for listening and the best of luck!
Lisa x

Hi, well, I had lipo there 3 weeks ago. To be honest I wasnt totally impressed. I much prefered Hospital group, ..
Nurses were nice, one male nurse was a bit grumpy, but hey..thats men for you!!

Everyones opinion will vary, at the end of the day.. you are only in there for a few hours..xx

Goo luck with op.x

if u can go to the heath go there. i went to highgate and hope i never hv to return again. transform are chasing up my complaints now.

Hi formallywantboobs,

Any chance you could elaborate on your post please?

Not sure if I would be able to opt for the Heath at this late stage without having to change the date of my ba which I`m not in a position to do. To be honest I`m not sure I would change without a good reason anyway and without appearing to be rude, your post doesn`t give any information as to why I should "steer clear" as you put it.

It obviously seems you had a bad time at the Highgate, could you please tell me why your reccommendation is to try and change to the Heath?

Thanks, Lise xxx

ok. well, sure i had my own room and tv but that's expected at a private hosp. i found the rooms more like those in an old ppls home. old bed, old furniture, not very clean.

the staff were rude and unhelpful. i was a daycase and told to book in at 7.30am for an early op. told i'd get home by 3/4pm. i went alone and booked in at 7.25am, taken to my room at 8am, didn't see another soul until 11am which was the surgeon, nurse brought me theatre clothes at 11.20am, taken to theatre at 11.30am! i was on my own all this time and had fasted since 10am the night b4 coz they said i'd go in early.

loads of things happened but i'm keeping it brief. brought bk to my room at 1.30pm and at about 3pm in walks the maintence man to fix the tap in the bathroom! I WAS ALONE AND HAD JUST HAD A BOOB OP!!!

Only offered a sandwich, wasn't discharged until 10.30PM and at that time was told that the receptiion desk had closed and no one could call me a cab so i had to call directory enquires from my mobile to get a cab number and order a cab. a visitor had to show me out of the building coz there were no staff around at 10.30pm even tho i rang the nurse call button in my room. god knows what wld hv happened if i was seriously ill and needed their help.

didn't get home until midnight. no one called to see if i'd got home ok and infact no one from highgate or transform called anyday after my op to see if i was ok.

i'd never felt so under valued and worthless as then and hving my boobs done was meant to aid my confidence.

...I`m really sorry that you had such a crap experience there. Thankyou for your post explaining.

It does sound totally unacceptable and I don`t blame you for making a complaint, it`s a disgusting way to be treated and I would do the same and feel the same as you do if I`d experienced it.
The only thing I can do is phone Transform on Monday and I`ll speak to someone about any concerns to do with Highgate, I`m really not the sort of person to just sit and say nothing so you never know I may just end up at the Heath. If I have no option but to go to the Highgate then I`ll make it very, very clear to them when I phone on Monday that if my experience at the Highgate is one of disappointing or inadequate care then I will have no issues whatsoever of making a formal complaint. They can`t say they haven`t been warned then can they?

I`ll see what they say on Monday. Thanks again for your reply, hope you`re feeling ok apart from obviously being p*ssed off about Highgate.

Sian, thanks for your reply, as you say it is different for everyone, I may still end up there but we`ll see. Hope you`re recovering well.

Lise xxxx

sorry to hear that some of you have had a bad experience there.I had my BA 4 weeks ago at Highgate and I have nothing but praise to say about the staff, nurses at Highgate & Dr Khan.

I arrived at highgate @ 10.45am on 7/05/08. I was second in line & went down to theatre by 12.30pm. The operation took 30 mins and I was discharged by 5pm that afternoon.

When I come back to my room I was asked what I wanted to eat, I settled for a sandwich, biscuits & unlimited tea, coffee. I was always pressing that bell for silly things like asking for the phone or to 'reach for my handbag'. The nurse came straight away with a smile on her face willing to help me with anything. I feel I was really looked after at Highgate

Overall I'm really happy. I only paid £2990 for my BA. My boobies look fantastic & I received a top service from Rubicon, Dr Khan & Highgate. Alot of people have paid up to £4000 or more for there BA & have been really let down.

xXx

Thankyou for your reply.

I`m pleased to hear that everything went well for you at Highgate and with your ba. I`m too close to my date now to be anything more than open minded about Highgate, I really don`t want to risk putting my date back by going to the Heath instead, even though I can understand some girls have had bad experiences there. I`m just trying to keep positive and will take whatever problems may arise as they happen (if they happen). It sounds from your post like everything and everybody ran pretty efficiently so fingers crossed that`ll be the case while I`m there.

Thanks again and I hope you`re recovering well.
Lise xxx

Hi Lise

I had my ba at Highgate on Wednesday evening. I was very happy with the hospital and found the nurses to be very very friendly and helpful.
Had my own room with telly and en-suite bathroom.
They are currently renovating - will still be working when you are there.
Everything is very clean and the food was delicious. Had dinner and breakfast there and loved both meals.
Good luck with your ba - hope all goes well!
D
xxx

Glad everything was good while you were there. It really does sound ok. I think I`ll be too busy crapping myself to worry about any renovating lol

Thanks a lot for your good wishes, I`m just nervous but so looking forward to having my ba done.

Hope you`re resting and looking after yourself.

Lise xxx

hiya i had my BA there 2 days ago. its a nice place more like a big house than a hospital, you get your own room with bathroom, telly , visitors can come and see you whenever and you get to buzz a nurse whenever you need to ask and need something!good luck x

hi bb,

Thanks a lot for the reply. Highgate sounds ok from your description. Fingers crossed all will go ok. I wasn`t sure about the place as I remember reading a few differing opinions a while ago but it takes ages to try and search every post made about it. I guess I`m just getting more nervous with every passing day now.
Thanks again.

Lise xxx