Summary
Private healthcare costs vary widely between patients and can be confusing. To be sure about the amount you’ll be expected to pay, ask if the price is part of package and exactly what that includes. Always ask for a written quotation and check with your insurer (if you have one) before you agree to anything.
Helping you understand private healthcare fees
PHIN's role is to make UK private healthcare easier for you to understand. We provide a range of information on our website to help you with this. But we know that one of the most important questions is about private hospital costs.
Quite simply, can you afford to go private? It's not always straightforward to find out how much you'll be expected to pay. Each patient is different, and things like your health, age and location and the services you receive (e.g. physiotherapy) can all make a difference.
How much are hospital bills?
When going private, you may be expecting to get one simple bill from the hospital. The biggest surprise for many isn't just the final cost, but how many different invoices arrive.
You will usually receive three bills: one from the hospital, one from your doctor, and one from the anaesthetist. By seeing the total cost as these three predictable parts, you can start managing unexpected fees and gain control.
Your first bill: The private consultation fee
Your private healthcare journey usually begins with a specialist consultation, which has a distinct cost. This one-off payment, typically between £150 and £300, covers the consultant's time, expertise and professional opinion on your condition. You are paying for their assessment, not a treatment plan at this stage. You should get the exact fee in writing in advance of your appointment.
This initial fee is almost never included in the cost of subsequent surgery, even within a fixed-price 'package deal'. You will usually pay for this consultation upfront on the day of your appointment. Thinking of it as a separate, preliminary charge helps you budget correctly from the start.
You can find out how much this consultation will cost by checking out the consultant profiles on our website using the search tool (you can search by the consultant's name, or location or procedure).
Package deal or a la carte? Your hospital pricing guide
Once your consultant recommends a procedure, you’ll typically be given a quote. For most common operations, hospitals offer a ‘package price’. Like an all-inclusive holiday, one fixed fee bundles the main costs: the surgeon’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, and hospital costs (like your room, nursing care and standard medication). This approach offers the most predictable way to budget for your care.
A few package price costs for common procedures are below, but as we said at the beginning, these will vary for every patient, and you need to speak to your hospital to get accurate prices (click on the links to find more local information) before making any commitments:
- Cataract surgery - £2,000 to £5,000 per eye
- Hip replacement surgery - £12,000 to £15,000
- Knee replacement surgery - £11,500 to £15,000.
It is important to always check what your ‘all-inclusive’ package excludes. It won't cover your initial consultation, and there are often limits on take-home drugs, extra nights in the hospital or aftercare once you’ve left. Diagnostics and pathology costs in particular often catch patients out and can contribute significantly to bills.
Crucially, the fixed price may not apply if unexpected complications arise, which could lead to additional costs. Finding these details out will help with hospital price comparison if you are considering more than one hospital.
The alternative is ‘itemised billing’, where you pay for every service separately. This is far less common for self-pay patients as costs can become unpredictable, but may be necessary for less common procedures.
Most hospitals have a team available to talk to you about your fees so be sure to ask them questions, including which fees you should check for that cover things not charged by the hospital itself.
It’s important to remember that the quote will always be for the planned treatment. Any complications or unexpected things could push the price up, so you need to prepare for this, even if it’s very unlikely. Always ask questions early to avoid a nasty surprise!
Using self-pay? The 'three bills' confusion: Hospital, surgeon, and anaesthetist
You might assume your hospital bill will be a single, all-in-one invoice. Yet, the most common financial surprise is receiving multiple bills for one procedure.
This happens because your surgeon and anaesthetist often don’t work for the hospital; they are independent professionals who use its facilities to treat you.
In this model, these experts are independent businesses. They will charge you directly for their services.
The hospital then sends its own invoice for your room, nursing care and operating theatre use.
For clarity, ask a critical question upfront: “Will all fees be combined into a single bill, or should I expect separate invoices?” Knowing the answer is the first step to avoiding any shocks.
Using insurance? How to avoid extra costs
The most important step is to get 'preauthorisation' from your insurer, so that you know clearly what insurance will and won’t pay for.
Since specialists often work independently, they can set their own fees. If you are using insurance, this creates a risk that their bill will be higher than your insurance policy covers, leaving you to pay the difference. The term ‘fee-assured’ can be your solution. A fee-assured consultant has an agreement with your insurer (like Bupa, Aviva or AXA) to charge only within their approved rates.
Choosing a fee-assured consultant is the single most effective way to prevent a ‘shortfall’ – the potentially unpleasant surprise of a gap between the consultant’s fee and your insurance coverage.
Consultants are able to enter their fee arrangements in their profiles on the PHIN website which can help you see if there will be additional costs. Your insurer will also provide a searchable directory of the specialists it works with on its website. Using a fee-assured consultant is often preferable, but it doesn't eliminate all potential out-of-pocket costs.
Excess vs. shortfall: Two gaps your insurance won't cover
Even with a fee-assured team, you’ll likely have some costs to pay. Your policy's excess is a fixed amount you agreed to pay towards a claim when you bought your insurance. Think of it like your car insurance excess – a £100 or £250 contribution that you pay once per claim or per year. It's a known quantity.
A shortfall, however, is an unpredictable gap that appears if your consultant charges more than your insurer will pay. This is the problem that choosing a 'fee-assured' specialist is designed to prevent.
An excess is a usual part of your policy. However, a shortfall is an unexpected bill. You can avoid this by checking that all specialists involved in your care are fee-assured.
Your pre-treatment checklist: 5 questions for a clear healthcare quote
Before agreeing to any treatment, whether you're self-paying or insured, use this checklist to get the clarity you need. Getting answers to these questions upfront is the best way to prevent unexpected bills.
- Is this a fixed 'package price'? If so, what exactly does it include or exclude?
- Will I receive separate bills from the surgeon, anaesthetist, or for diagnostic tests?
- (For insured patients) Is the consultant ‘fee-assured’ with my specific insurer?
- Can I have a written quote detailing all of these costs?
- What is the process and estimated cost if complications arise?
As an official, government-mandated source, PHIN provides impartial data, allowing you to compare typical consultant healthcare costs and quality scores for hospitals across the UK.
We aren't yet able to collect hospital costs as that’s not one of the requirements put on hospitals by the Private Healthcare Investigation Order , which sets out the data PHIN can collect. However, we hope that by helping you know the questions to ask, you shift from being a passive patient to an empowered 'consumer'.
