Hysterectomy cost UK: private prices and NHS waiting times

Private hysterectomy in the UK costs roughly £6,900 to £11,900 as an all-in package, and on the NHS it is free but you wait: the typical wait for a hysterectomy runs to about 17 weeks (July 2026), and much longer at some hospitals than others.

What the operation is

A hysterectomy removes the womb. It is done for heavy bleeding, fibroids, prolapse or other conditions that have not settled with other treatment. It can be carried out through the vagina, by keyhole, or as open surgery, and usually means a short hospital stay. It is planned after a gynaecology assessment, so most of the NHS wait is getting seen and reaching the operating list.

What you are actually paying for

A private hysterectomy price is usually a fixed surgical package: the surgeon, the anaesthetist, the theatre, your hospital stay, and your follow-up care. It does not include the first consultation or any scan, which are billed separately. Before the operation is booked, expect a first consultation of about £200 to £500, where the gynaecologist 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 to be seen

You do not have to pay for the operation to move sooner. Paying privately only for the parts that get you seen and assessed, the first consultation and any scan, costs about £200 to £500. A hysterectomy is a major step, and an earlier specialist view can also confirm whether a smaller procedure would do instead. If a hysterectomy is right for you, you can rejoin NHS care for it and keep your place in the queue.

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 hysterectomy wait, and how to switch to a faster one for free, on the hysterectomy 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 hysterectomy NHS waiting times →

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

Related costs: fibroid removal · prolapse surgery