Private hip replacement surgery: costs and recovery explained

A hip replacement is major surgery, but it’s also one of the most transformative procedures in modern medicine – and a huge relief for anyone living with the excruciating pain of a worn-out hip. 

However, with NHS waits in 2026 averaging 27 weeks from GP referral to treatment, healthcare figures show that more than 28,000 people a year are opting to go private.

A hip replacement operation is expensive, though, and you can expect to pay between £13,000 and £20,000. That’s a major outlay – so it’s important to know what you get for the price, especially as packages can vary more than you might expect. Always read the small print to find out what’s included, and what’s not, before you book.

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How much does private hip replacement surgery cost?

A standard private hip replacement in the UK costs from around £13,000, but it can be as much as £20,000 – and even more if you choose to have an operation at a central London clinic.

The market is dominated by private national hospital groups – Circle Health Group, Nuffield Health, Spire Healthcare and Ramsay Health Care. The smaller Practice Plus Group hospital chain also offers the surgery at a nationally fixed price, which may be more affordable.

In London, patients can also attend clinics such as HCA Healthcare and the London Clinic. Alternatively, NHS private patient units (PPUs) provide access to senior consultants alongside the assurance of full emergency and intensive care backup on site.

Our table shows guide prices from the UK’s major providers of hip replacement surgery. They typically confirm the final price in writing after the initial appointment, as any complexities will make the procedure more expensive. It's often worth browsing hospital prices by location, as those outside of London and the South East are often significantly cheaper.

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The package small print

Many hospitals now offer inclusive packages, which usually cover hospital fees, consultant fees, anaesthetist fees, the hip implant, in-hospital physio, up to a three-night stay and at least one follow-up appointment.

However, the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) notes that some providers still charge a ‘fee per service’. This means you’ll receive separate invoices from the surgeon, anaesthetist and hospital, often leaving the final cost unclear until these bills arrive. To avoid any after-op shocks, always ask for a full written quote in advance.

What is not included?

An initial consultation and pre-operative tests are seldom included in the package price, so check how much they will cost. If you have an existing health condition, the hospital may also require additional pre-operative tests. These can add between £200 and £500 to your overall bill.

Consultant fees will usually be extra too, and will vary according to their experience and specialisms.

A certain amount of aftercare physio will be included, but how much varies. Check in advance.

What happens if there are complications?

Official NHS data shows that more than 95% of UK patients report positive outcomes after a hip replacement. However, there is always a risk of complications, and the cover included in your package varies by hospital. Always check this in advance and note that many packages only include time-limited cover after the operation. Patients with Circle Health Group, for example, are covered for six months after a hip replacement procedure.

You should also find out if the hospital you’re staying at is staffed overnight. If there were a surgical complication, the overnight team would contact your consultant, and in non-emergency cases it would most likely be managed at the hospital.

However, if you did need immediate attention, you would likely be transferred to your local NHS accident and emergency department, as private hospitals generally don’t have 24/7 acute care.

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Should I pay extra for robotic surgery?

Robotic surgery is an advanced technique where a human surgeon uses a computer-guided robotic arm to plan and execute a joint replacement. 

The procedure has become more common in the UK in recent years, and some private hospitals may now offer you robot-assisted surgery as an option. It comes at an additional cost though – for example, an extra £1,700 at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital. 

Some surgeons think the technique has advantages, but there’s currently not enough high-quality evidence to state categorically that it produces better long-term outcomes than conventional surgery. A major NHS trial and study, RACER Hip, is underway to find out. 

Do hospitals offer 0% finance for hip replacements?

Many hospital chains offer the chance to split the cost of a hip replacement with 0% interest over six to 12 months.

To pay over a longer length of time, clinics partner with finance companies regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to offer loans that come with interest – many UK hospitals, including Circle Health Group and Ramsay Health Care, use Chrysalis Finance. Be aware, though, that the total you’ll end up repaying may be quite a bit higher than the original headline price, even if the monthly amount looks manageable.

Ramsay's representative example is 14.9% APR, so a hip operation costing £13,900 would amount to around £5,500 extra in interest over five years.

Private healthcare: is it worth it? We asked patients who self-paid for surgery, consultations and GP appointments about their experiences

How to choose your hip replacement surgeon

If you’re having a hip replacement operation on the NHS, your surgeon is allocated to you depending on hospital availability. With private surgery, a key advantage is the freedom to choose your own consultant orthopaedic surgeon, who will remain with you at every stage of your care.

When choosing, the advice from experts is to seek out a surgeon who performs a large number of hip replacements annually.

‘See a surgeon who uses the same technique on a repeated basis and is highly skilled in that technique,’ says Mr Peter James, consultant orthopaedic surgeon and chief medical officer at Circle Health Group.

Sebastian Dawson-Bowling, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, who also works privately, advises choosing a surgeon who spends a proportion of their time working in the NHS.

‘In the NHS we take part in regular multidisciplinary meetings where we review everyone’s cases; it keeps you contemporary and in tune with the latest ideas,’ he explains.

If your chosen surgeon operates entirely in the private sector, check they work in a hospital where clinical outcomes and data are regularly reviewed and discussed with peers.

You can find information about your surgeon, including fee details and patient feedback, on the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) website. You can also find the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating and performance data on the private hospital where they’re working.

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Important questions to ask your surgeon

Ask the following to help you choose who performs your hip replacement.

1. How many hip replacements do you do per year?

Research suggests that surgeons who perform higher numbers of hip replacements tend to have lower revision and complication rates, although there is no UK-wide minimum number. A 2014 study found higher rates of dislocation and early revision among patients whose surgeon performed 35 or fewer hip replacements a year, while another 2025 study also linked higher annual caseloads with lower revision rates.

Volumes of operations for surgeons working in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are listed on the National Joint Registry (NJR), which tracks the outcomes of individual surgeons and hospitals, as well as the effectiveness of joint implants. In Scotland, you will need to ask the consultant directly. Or, if you’re going through a private hospital, you can use the PHIN database to see individual surgeon profiles.

2. Do you review your clinical outcomes, and if there are complications, are they understood and learned from?

Detailed complication rates for individual surgeons are difficult to track down publicly, so a direct conversation is the best way to gauge how your consultant monitors and learns from patient data. 

Dr Chris Smith-Brown, clinical adviser to PHIN, advises: ‘Ask your consultant what results they see, and what happens if something goes wrong. For some treatments, you can also look at Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), which show how patients felt before and after treatment. Your consultant should be able to explain the benefits and risks in a clear way.’

For private treatment, PHIN publishes hospital-level results for hip replacements on their PROM Explorer. 

3. What surgical approach do you use?

The vast majority of hip replacements in the UK rely on the traditional posterior approach, where the surgeon accesses the hip joint through the back or side of the buttocks. This has good long-term outcomes. 

Some private consultants, however, offer the newer anterior approach, which involves an incision at the front of the hip, allowing the surgeon to work between the muscles without cutting them. This approach may lead to a slightly quicker recovery, but the procedure is technically harder.

Mr Peter James says: ‘There is little or no evidence that any of the newer approaches have long-term benefits; any benefit may be in quicker recovery, but recovery from hip replacement surgery anyway is usually quick. You need to be highly skilled and experienced to perform the anterior approach, so you’d need to make sure this is the case for the surgeon you choose, as otherwise the complication rates are higher.’

What type of hip replacement implant should I get?

There are several types of hip replacement implants available, and the best one for you is usually decided in discussion with your surgeon and depends on your age, activity levels and bone health. Whatever you choose, modern implants usually last well beyond 10 years – and according to a 2026 study published in The Lancet, 58% are still functioning well at 25 years.

Here’s what to consider.

Check your implant’s ODEP rating

The Orthopaedic Data Evaluation Panel (ODEP) independently rates hip implants. So if an implant has a 10A* rating, the number refers to the number of years of clinical evidence, and the letter and star rating mean there is good evidence for a low revision (failure) rate.  

However, treat 10A as the minimum benchmark rather than the gold standard. Ratings also run to 13A* and 15A*, meaning good evidence over an even longer period – though a higher number doesn't automatically mean a ‘better’ implant, just an older one with a longer track record.

Ceramic, metal, plastic: choosing the moving parts

The material of the bearing – the ball and the socket of your hip implant – is now most commonly a ceramic head combined with a modern plastic (known as cross-linked polyethene) cup. Data from the National Joint Registry shows that this combination has the best outcomes at 10 years. 

However, a metal ball on the same plastic lining is the traditional alternative – this also has decades of good evidence and has the advantage of being cheaper.  

Should I go for cemented or uncemented fixings?

This is to do with how the implant is fixed to your bone, not what it's made of. A cemented implant is set in place with fast-setting bone cement and grips immediately; an uncemented one is fitted with a rough, mineral-coated surface that your bone grows onto over the following weeks. 

Younger, denser bone grips uncemented implants well, while older, more porous bone risks cracking when one is fitted. 

The most popular option in the UK now is a ‘hybrid' – a cemented stem with an uncemented cup. All options perform well, so the choice comes down largely to bone quality and your age and overall health.

What is the current waiting time for a hip replacement?

On the NHS, hip replacement surgeries are grouped into the orthopaedics and trauma waiting list. In England, this is currently the largest waiting list in non-urgent care, with more than 842,000 on the combined list at the end of June 2026, with more than 19,000 patients waiting more than a year.

The waiting time varies significantly by trust, but surgeons report that people wait on average between four and 12 months, with long gaps between a GP referral, the initial consultant appointment, pre-operation tests and the surgery. Last-minute cancellations because of a lack of NHS hospital beds are also a significant problem. To check how long the waiting list is at your hospital, see My Planned Care. In England, you also have the right to choose a location where the waiting list is shorter.

Meanwhile, if you choose to go private, you will get the initial appointment in a matter of days or up to a fortnight, and the surgery usually within two to four weeks, or up to eight weeks at busier units.

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How long will I be in hospital?

With modern enhanced recovery pathways, many people stay just a night or two in hospital, with an increasing number treated as day cases if they’re suitable.

Will I have a private room?

In the private system, a private room with your own bathroom is standard.

Hip replacement recovery time

Most patients return to regular activities within two to three months of surgery, although a full recovery typically takes up to a year. While in hospital, a physiotherapist will help you become mobile using a walking frame or crutches. You will be discharged with a tailored exercise plan and usually several follow-up physio appointments.

Before leaving the hospital, make sure you know who to call if any concerns arise at home. Ask whether the number you're given will reach anyone if it’s 2am and you’re worried, and find out who that person will be.

How much physiotherapy am I entitled to after discharge?

Most packages at major providers state that they include post-surgery physiotherapy. At the Circle Health Group, for example, you’re covered for six months, but others don’t always flag up how long their coverage lasts.

Check how many appointments your package entitles you to post-operation, as if they’re not covered, you may need to pay for each extra session. Circle Health states that these can be between £50 and £100.

What equipment will I need to buy for my home to help my recovery?

A walking frame or crutches are essential and are usually provided by the hospital. They may also supply a raised toilet seat, which reduces the risk of dislocation – if not, you’ll need to buy one. 

You may also need a shower stool or bath board for washing, as well as a long-handled reacher to safely pick items up from the floor. You may also need to buy these yourself, so chat about necessary equipment with the hospital team in advance. 

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