Hysterectomy waiting times
How long the wait for a hysterectomy really is, what it looks like at your own hospital, and the honest routes through it: the NHS, a targeted private step, or going fully private.
Updated July 2026 · NHS RTT data
See your GP without delay if you have any bleeding after the menopause, bleeding between periods or after sex, or bleeding that is much heavier or different from usual for you. Also see your GP if you have bloating, tummy or pelvic pain, or feeling full quickly, on most days for three weeks or more. These often have simple causes, but they are the symptoms the NHS checks promptly to be safe. Get urgent help (A&E or 999) for sudden severe pelvic or tummy pain, especially with feeling faint or being sick, or if you could be pregnant.
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Across England, half of Gynaecology patients are treated within 17 weeks; the average is 25, and 1 in 5 wait longer than 49 weeks.
Half are treated within 17 weeks
The average wait is 25 weeks
1 in 5 wait longer than 49 weeks
Pooled across 116 NHS trusts (15,853 patients). Source: NHS RTT, July 2026.
Seen a different number elsewhere? Why every website gives a different NHS wait →
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Your three routes
We don't tell you which to pick: we give you the honest shape of each and let you decide.
Join the queue and wait. Nationally that's a median of about 17 weeks, and longer at many hospitals. Check yours above.
Best if cost is the main concern and waiting weeks or months is manageable.
Pay to be diagnosed sooner, then have the operation on the NHS. If you are already referred, this does not change your place in the queue.
Best if you want to save significant time with a targeted spend, without paying for everything privately.
Pay for everything, including the hysterectomy itself (typically £6,900–£11,900 for the surgical package), and skip the NHS wait entirely. The fastest route, and the most expensive.
Best if speed is critical and budget allows.
If a private consultation is what gets you referred, your NHS wait starts from that referral, not from when your symptoms began or when you first saw your GP. You lose nothing by going private first, because you had no NHS clock running to lose. But you do not gain a head start either. Ask your GP for an NHS referral at the same time, so the clock starts while you are being seen privately.
What it costs privately
A private hysterectomy is typically £6,900 to £11,900: the all-in surgical package (surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre, hospital stay, follow-up). A private consultation to get there, and a scan if needed, are a few hundred pounds on top. If you pay for just the diagnosis, the hysterectomy itself stays free on the NHS.
Typical UK self-pay package prices, reviewed periodically.
How long is the private wait? Privately there is no formal waiting list. Allow about 4 to 8 weeks from your first consultation to treatment: against an NHS median of about 17 weeks in Gynaecology.
Related conditions
See every NHS trust's hysterectomy wait, ranked fastest first →
See the hysterectomy wait at every NHS hospital, ranked fastest first →
NHS hysterectomy waiting times at major hospitals
New Cross Hospital · Addenbrooke's Hospital · York Hospital · Torbay Hospital · Musgrove Park Hospital · Royal Berkshire Hospital · Hereford County Hospital · Derriford Hospital · Royal Cornwall Hospital · Manchester Royal Infirmary · Homerton University Hospital · John Radcliffe Hospital · Bristol Royal Infirmary · Russells Hall Hospital · Southampton General Hospital · Frimley Park Hospital
Browse all NHS waiting times →
See what a hysterectomy costs privately, and on the NHS →
Common questions
About hysterectomy
What it is
A hysterectomy is an operation to remove the womb (uterus). It is done for several different reasons, including heavy or painful periods, fibroids, endometriosis, a prolapse, or some cancers, and is usually considered when other treatments have not worked or are not suitable. Depending on the reason, the ovaries and cervix may or may not be removed at the same time.
How it is usually treated
A hysterectomy can be carried out in different ways: through the vagina, by keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery, or through a cut in the tummy (abdominal). Which one is used depends on the reason for the operation, the size of the womb and what you prefer, and is decided with your surgeon. For many of the conditions it treats, medicines or smaller procedures are tried first, so a hysterectomy is not always needed.
After treatment
You will usually stay in hospital for one to a few days, with a faster recovery after vaginal or keyhole surgery than after abdominal surgery. Most people need around six to eight weeks to get back to normal and should avoid heavy lifting during that time, with some bleeding or discharge for a few weeks. Afterwards you will no longer have periods or be able to become pregnant. If your ovaries are removed before the menopause, menopausal symptoms can begin, so ask your team about HRT.
General information only, not medical advice. Your GP or specialist will advise on your own situation.
Written by the Wait or Pay team and sourced to the NHS. Last reviewed September 2026.
How long will you really wait, and how could you go sooner?
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