Private hospital price list - a guide to private medical treatment costs in the UK

There are several differences between having your surgery performed in a private hospital vs. via the NHS. In short, these are:

• You have to pay for private medical treatment.
• Waiting times are typically much shorter in private hospitals.
• You'll get a private room while you're in a private hospital.
• Private healthcare gives you more choice over who, where and when your medical procedures take place.

Can private health insurance pay for my treatment?

If you had private health insurance before experiencing symptoms or were diagnosed with a medical condition, then yes, you could claim. Your insurer will pay for your surgery in a private hospital, assuming you have the appropriate cover levels.

If you don't have health insurance and you're currently awaiting treatment or stuck on a waiting list, you can't take out a private health insurance policy and have it pay for your treatment. Pre-existing conditions, typically those you've experienced in the past five years, will be excluded, so health insurance will be of little help for your current condition.

What are your options if you're stuck on a waiting list?

What is NHS Right to Choose and how does it work?

How much does it cost to see a private consultant in the UK?

In August 2024, our team of private healthcare researchers obtained pricing from 35 leading private hospitals around the UK for 27 of the most common surgical procedures. All of those sampled offered fixed-price surgery, which includes your initial consultation, hospital stay, consultant fees, and anaesthetist fees at a minimum.

2024 Private Hospital Price List (the average cost of treatment)

The table below shows the average cost of some of the UK's most common private medical treatments.

Source: myTribe 2024 Private Surgery Research

As you can see, treatment prices vary greatly depending on the complexity of the procedure. You'll also find significant variation in prices between providers and in different parts of the country.

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Private healthcare costs in the UK are based upon several factors, including the treatment, the location of your private hospital and the consultant's rates. This section details many of the elements that will affect your private treatment cost.

Many private hospitals offer fixed-price surgery costs that typically cover the cost of hospital admission, consultant and anaesthetist fees, medical equipment and medicines, and nursing and aftercare. However, each hospital will include different things in its fixed-price surgery, so when choosing where to receive your treatment and comparing prices, pay close attention to what's included.

How to get more information about private medical treatment costs

The best way to get information about the cost of private medical treatments is to visit private hospitals' websites and get in touch with them. While there are many independent private hospitals in the UK, some of which we looked at to provide our average prices, several larger private healthcare groups might be a good starting point.

Top private healthcare providers in the UK:

• Circle Health Group (formerly BMI) - 53 hospitals across the UK
• HCA - 6 hospitals (5 in London and 1 in Manchester)
• Nuffield Health- 37 hospitals nationwide
• Practice Plus Group - 10 hospitals and surgical centres in England
• Ramsay Health - 33 hospitals across the UK
• Spire Healthcare - 39 hospitals across the UK

Read more about the top private hospital groups in this guide.

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Speak to a private medical insurance provider

Private health insurance providers also allow people to self-pay for treatments via them, so you could speak to them about your treatment if you would prefer.

There are several ways you can pay for private treatment in the UK:

Private medical insurance

Private medical insurance covers the cost of private treatment of eligible conditions in return for paying a monthly premium. Private health insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions, so if you are currently suffering from something and looking for solutions, private medical insurance won't be it.

Related guide: What is private health insurance?

Best private health insurance 2025

Best private health insurance providers based on customer reviews and our expert ratings, along with getting a better understanding of how private healthcare works.

Self-pay

As the name suggests, you fund your private medical treatments with self-pay. Unfortunately, given the current waiting lists on the NHS, many people feel the need to dip into savings or call upon friends and family to be treated sooner.

Medical loan

Finally, if you don't have health insurance or the funds to pay straightaway for your treatment, you could look for a medical loan. All of the private hospitals work with credit brokers and offer you the ability to spread the cost of your treatment with a medical loan.

In August 2024, myTribe's private healthcare researchers collected pricing for 27 common surgeries from 35 private hospitals around the UK. The pricing was for fixed-priced surgery, and the information was available on the hospitals' websites. Precisely what's included within each of the hospital's packages vary and the prices provided are averages and meant as examples only.

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