Gallbladder removal cost UK: private prices and NHS waiting times

Private gallbladder removal in the UK costs roughly £6,900 to £10,500 as an all-in package, and on the NHS it is free but you wait: the typical wait for gallbladder removal runs to about 18 weeks (July 2026), and much longer at some hospitals than others.

The table below shows what individual hospitals published when we last checked. The cheapest was Practice Plus Group (group price) in England at £6,649; the most expensive was Nuffield Health Shrewsbury Hospital in Shrewsbury at £9,360. What each price includes differs, so the last column states what each hospital’s own page says.\n\n

\n\n## What the operation is

Gallstones are hard lumps that form in the gallbladder and can cause attacks of pain. When they keep causing trouble, the usual treatment is to remove the gallbladder, keyhole surgery called a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, most often a day case or one overnight stay. Gallstones are usually confirmed on an ultrasound scan, so much of the NHS wait is being scanned and seen by a general surgeon.

What you are actually paying for

A private gallbladder removal price is usually a fixed surgical package: the surgeon, the anaesthetist, the theatre, your stay, and your follow-up care. It does not include the first consultation or the ultrasound scan, which are billed separately. Before the operation is booked, expect a first consultation of about £200 to £500, where the surgeon confirms what you need. Source: published self-pay guide prices, August 2026.

Ask any hospital the same question before you commit: exactly what is and is not in the price, and in particular whether the surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees sit inside the figure or are added on top.

The cheaper middle route: pay only for the diagnosis

You do not have to pay for the whole operation to move sooner. Paying privately only for the parts that get you diagnosed and seen, the first consultation and the ultrasound, costs about £400 to £850. After that you can rejoin NHS care for the operation itself and keep your place in the queue for it. This helps most when the wait to be scanned and seen is a big part of the delay.

The operation is free on the NHS, so the real question is the wait

Paying privately buys you speed, not a better result: the operation is the same one the NHS does. Your choices are really three. Stay where you are and wait. Switch to a faster NHS hospital, for free, under your right to choose, which can save months at no cost. Or pay for the whole operation privately and be treated in weeks. Which is right depends entirely on how long your own hospital's queue is, and how much shorter a nearby one might be.

See every NHS hospital's real gallbladder removal wait, and how to switch to a faster one for free, on the gallstones waiting times pages. If you would rather have your options and the faster hospitals near you worked out from your postcode, open your free dashboard below.

Want the wait instead of the price? See gallbladder removal NHS waiting times →

Can I go private for gallbladder removal, then have it done on the NHS? →

Related costs: inguinal hernia repair