Grommet surgery cost UK: private prices and NHS waiting times

Private grommet surgery for glue ear in the UK costs roughly £2,700 to £3,900 as an all-in package, and on the NHS it is free but you wait: the typical wait for grommet surgery runs to about 25 weeks (July 2026), and much longer at some hospitals than others.

What the operation is

Glue ear is a build-up of fluid behind the eardrum that dulls hearing, most often in children. Much of it clears on its own. When it persists and affects hearing or speech, a small operation inserts grommets, tiny tubes that let the ear drain and air. It is a quick day case under general anaesthetic, usually after a hearing test. Most of the NHS wait is the hearing test and being seen by ENT.

What you are actually paying for

A private grommet surgery price is usually a fixed surgical package: the surgeon, the anaesthetist, the theatre, and your follow-up care. It does not include the first consultation or the hearing test, which are billed separately. Before the operation is booked, expect a first consultation of about £200 to £500, where the ENT surgeon confirms grommets are the right step. 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 to be seen

You do not have to pay for the operation to move sooner. Paying privately just to be seen and have the hearing tested, about £200 to £500, gets the decision made quickly. You can then rejoin NHS care for the operation itself and keep your place in the queue for it. Since glue ear often settles on its own, an earlier appointment can also confirm that no operation is needed yet.

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 grommet surgery wait, and how to switch to a faster one for free, on the glue ear 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 grommet surgery NHS waiting times →

Can I go private for grommet surgery, then have it done on the NHS? →

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