Private surgery: what you need to know

Long post-pandemic NHS waiting lists have fuelled a rise in people looking to pay privately for one-off procedures. 

Knee replacements, hip replacements and cataract surgery are all popular private treatments. A total of 272,000 patients paid privately for these and other procedures in 2022 – a 37% increase on pre-pandemic numbers.

If you're considering going private, read our guide to how private surgery works, the typical costs you might incur and what you should consider to help you decide on the next steps. 

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How do I get private surgery?

The most common route to self-funded private surgery starts with the NHS. You’ll go to your GP or a consultant, receive a diagnosis and join the waiting list for NHS treatment. 

At this point, you may be given an estimated wait time for when your hospital appointment will be. 

If you wish to explore private options, you can use the independent Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) as a starting point. This lets you search for nearby consultants and hospitals. You can also read up on individuals on the hospital websites.

You can ask your GP for advice on who they think could perform your surgery privately. It’s illegal for NHS clinicians to get kickbacks for private referrals, so this should be impartial.

If you've seen a consultant, you can ask if they also carry out private work.

Private healthcare tends to be concentrated regionally in London, Southeast England and Manchester, so if you don’t live in one of these areas, you may have fewer local options to choose from. 

The next step is weighing up the costs.

Private healthcare: is it worth it? We asked patients who self-paid for surgery, consultations and GP appointments about their experiences

How much does private surgery cost?

An initial consultation is usually £150+,  excluding any additional diagnostic tests you might need. But for private procedures such as an operation, we're usually talking thousands – or even tens of thousands – of pounds. 

A cataract operation, for example, will typically set you back around £2,800 per eye, while a hip or knee replacement is more like £13,000 to 14,000.

Costs can vary considerably, too. The cost of a hip replacement, for example, can vary between £8,500 and £16,575 depending on the consultant or hospital, according to data from LangBuisson's 2023 Private Healthcare report.

Source: LangBuisson Private Healthcare Self-Pay UK Market Report 5ed (2023).

Prices will usually be part of a package that includes related hospital costs, such as secretarial pay and meals, so you shouldn’t be faced with any unexpected costs after the fact. They’ll often include follow-up appointments, too. 

Make sure you check what each hospital’s package includes when comparing prices, as this might differ. 

It's not just surgery, of course. Some patients pay for quicker access to consultations or GP appointments to get a diagnosis if they’re worried about symptoms. This may or may not progress to private or NHS treatment, when required. 

The NHS guide to private care explains that you're still entitled to free NHS care (and to stay on a waiting list) if you choose to pay for additional care, but there must be 'as clear a separation as possible'. 

This means you will need to stay on top of ensuring your care is joined up, and checking whenever you aren't sure of next steps. 

Private GP appointments - how they work, pros and cons and costs compared

Private health providers

Many NHS hospitals also offer private treatment, and consultants often work across both disciplines. But there are some private-only hospital groups, too. The big UK ones include:

• HCA Healthcare – private hospital group with centres in London and Manchester. 
• Nuffield Health – a not-for-profit healthcare organisation with ties to fitness and wellbeing clubs.
• Spire – has hospitals, clinics and some cancer centres, with a wide reach across the UK.
• Circle Health group – US-based hospital group with clinics and hospitals across the UK.
• Ramsay Health Care – global hospital group with services across the UK.

PHIN's 'find a hospital' tool is a good starting point for figuring out what's in your area.

Is private surgery worth it?

The quality of the procedure itself is likely to be exactly the same as it would be on the NHS, not least because most private clinicians also do NHS work. 

The main benefit – and how much this matters will depend on your specific circumstances and the wait time you are faced with – is the speed of being seen and treated.

The quality of the elements surrounding the treatment, such as the food and facilities, may also be better. 

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What are the alternatives to paying privately for an operation or consultation?

NHS treatment

While average wait times may be high at the moment, there’s a chance they could come down. Also, keep in mind that they can vary regionally and, if you’re sent an average wait time, your appointment letter could still come through sooner than you expect. 

You have the option of choosing where you're seen for non-urgent NHS care, and you can compare waiting times for different hospitals online. 

Start by asking your GP about patient choice, and they should give you a range of options available to you. Find out more in our patient choice guide. 

If you're on an NHS waiting list and you're facing a long delay, there may be steps you can take to make the best of the wait. You should always go back to your GP if your symptoms worsen or change. Read our tips on how to handle treatment delays.

Private medical insurance (PMI)

Perhaps the more traditional way to go private, PMI means that for a monthly premium you'll be covered for certain private health appointments and procedures. 

There are usually limits depending on what you need (for example, a spend limit for outpatient consultant appointments in a year), and you'll typically need to pay an excess, but this could still work out cheaper for major health issues. 

Be aware that chronic health conditions aren't always covered beyond initial diagnosis and treatment.

Read more in our full private health insurance guide, including which are the best and worst providers.

Looking to buy private health insurance?

Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch.

Find out more

Have a ‘rainy day’ fund

This is a bit of a tall order in a cost of living crisis, but instead of paying monthly for insurance, you could put a similar amount into a savings account each month, set aside to pay for one-off medical treatment should you need it. 

Private medical insurers reviewed: find out which is best

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