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

What’s the difference between private surgery and NHS treatment?

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.

How much does private surgery cost in the UK?

In November 2026, our team of private healthcare researchers collected the self-pay prices that 265 UK private hospitals publish on their own websites for common treatments. Each price is a package price that includes your first consultation. Prices that cover only the hospital fee, with the surgeon charged on top, are left out.

2026 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, with the range that most hospitals charge.

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. For shoulder replacement, tonsillectomy and ankle arthroscopy, one group’s price list covers many of these hospitals, so the typical price leans towards that list.

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What impacts the cost of private medical treatment?

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.

The hospital’s location:

The private hospital’s location will be a significant factor in the cost of treatment. While this may seem strange at first, many other costs, such as rent and even staffing costs, will be higher in certain places in the UK. For example, many premium central London hospitals only give prices on request and are likely to charge more than hospitals elsewhere.

The treatment:

As you would expect, the actual treatment required will play a significant role in determining the cost. For instance, removing wisdom teeth is usually far more straightforward than total hip replacement surgery.

Medical equipment costs:

Private healthcare providers continually invest in new equipment, and the cost of that equipment tends to increase over time. To be a leading provider, you need the latest equipment and the ability to offer cutting-edge treatments.

Medicines:

Similarly to equipment, private hospitals need to buy medicines, and the cost of some of the newest ones developed will be expensive. Medication plays a vital role in treatment and recovery, so the private healthcare system needs access to the best available.

Consultant fees:

As consultants gain experience, their prices will rise. There will be a “going rate” for each type of specialist, and if there’s a shortage of a specific skill set, the cost will increase.

Staffing costs:

Staff at private hospitals, from nurses to cleaners, need to be paid, and again, these costs tend to rise with inflation over time.

Commercial property rent, business rates and utilities:

Hospitals often have large buildings in prominent positions in towns and cities, and the costs are high. The closer you get to London, the more expensive it is to have property, which is one of the reasons it costs more to be treated in the capital.

Insurance:

Providing medical treatment as a service comes with significant risk, so you can be sure that the hospitals will have costly insurance policies to provide them with some protection should problems occur.

Information technology:

Modern businesses rely heavily upon computers, mobile phones and other technology; private hospitals are no different.

Profit margins:

While some private healthcare providers are not for profit, others are profit-making businesses that must create value for shareholders yearly.

What is the typical process for private surgery?

Depending on the medical procedure you require and the private hospital you choose, the process will likely vary. However, broadly speaking, you can expect the following:

What is fixed-price surgery?

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, and our research covers both independent hospitals and the larger groups, several larger private healthcare groups might be a good starting point.

Top private healthcare providers in the UK:

• Circle Health Group (formerly BMI) - more than 50 hospitals across the UK
• HCA - over 30 facilities, with hospitals in London, Manchester and Birmingham
• Nuffield Health - 35 hospitals nationwide
• Practice Plus Group - hospitals and surgical centres in England
• Ramsay Health - more than 30 hospitals across the UK
• Spire Healthcare - 38 hospitals across the UK

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

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.

How can you pay for private surgery and treatments?

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 usually 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.

Find out more about private health insurance.

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. Many private hospitals work with credit brokers and offer you the ability to spread the cost of your treatment with a medical loan.

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Our research methodology

In November 2026, myTribe’s private healthcare researchers collected pricing for common treatments from the prices that private hospitals publish on their own websites. Precisely what’s included in each hospital’s package varies, and the prices provided are averages and meant as examples only.

Where the prices come from:

• We checked 516 private hospitals in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for published self-pay prices.
• Of these, 265 hospitals publish a usable package price for at least one of the treatments in the table.
• We saved a copy of every price page (1,362 pages, 2 to 3 November 2026), read the prices from those copies, and checked every price against its saved page.
• Only prices the hospital itself publishes count. Comparison sites, competitor tables and finance figures were left out.

What one price means:

• Each figure is a package price: what the hospital says the treatment costs a self-paying patient.
• It includes the first consultation, and where a hospital prices that consultation separately, it is added to the package.
• We use one price per hospital per treatment. A chain’s national price list counts at every hospital it covers.
• Prices are for one side or one unit, such as one eye, knee or hip, but both breasts for breast surgery and both ears for ear pinning. Prices for both knees, both hips or both eyes, and premium versions such as robotic surgery, are left out.
• The “Average Cost” column shows the typical price, the median: half the hospitals charge less, half more. “Most hospitals charge” is the range from the 10th to the 90th percentile.
• Many hospitals publish “from” or guide prices. These are treated as the price, and a treatment is labelled “from” when most hospitals price it that way.