Private health and protection insurance expert and editor
In this guide to private hospital prices, we detail the average cost of many of the most common surgeries to help you better understand how much treatment costs.
If you're considering private surgery, the two inevitable questions are how much private medical treatment costs and what the waiting times are like.
In this guide, we focus on answering the first question about costs. However, to give you an idea of waiting times, there are private hospitals that can typically start your surgery in as little as 4-6 weeks.
There are several differences between having your surgery performed in a private hospital vs. via the NHS. In short, these are:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Read more about the top private hospital groups in this guide.
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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 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?
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.
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.
Sources:
Disclaimer: This information is general and what is best for you will depend on your personal circumstances. Please speak with a financial adviser or do your own research before making a decision.
Chris Steele is myTribe’s resident expert in private health insurance and healthcare, with over a decade of experience in the field. As a Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) qualified professional, he has helped countless consumers navigate private medical insurance. Regularly quoted by national media, Chris is a trusted voice in the UK insurance industry, with his insights featured in leading consumer finance publications.
On average, it costs around £195 to see a private medical consultant. To learn more about consultation fees, please read our recent guide.
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*Based on 461 quotes between 01/22-01/23
