Private Endoscopy Cost UK 2026: Gastroscopy, Colonoscopy & NHS Waits
What Nuffield Health, Ramsay Health Care UK and Spire Healthcare publish for a diagnostic gastroscopy and colonoscopy, what is often charged on top, and how the NHS wait for these tests is measured in England.
Quick answer
- Gastroscopy (upper GI endoscopy) and colonoscopy are different procedures with different prices. They are shown separately below and never averaged together.
- The figures are what Nuffield Health, Ramsay Health Care UK and Spire Healthcare publish for each hospital, shown per operator with what each figure covers.
- NHS endoscopy has no charge when clinically indicated. NHS England publishes a monthly wait for each test.
Gastroscopy: what the hospital groups publish
What private hospitals publish for diagnostic gastroscopy
78 hospitals across 3 operators publish a price for this procedure. Each operator’s figures are shown separately, against that operator’s own definition of what the price covers.
| Operator | Median | Across its hospitals | Hospitals | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsay Health Care UK | £2,215 | £1,514–£2,555 | 17 | Guide "from" price, inclusions not stated by Ramsay.Gastroscopy as a day patient — the ambulatory price is separate. |
| Spire Healthcare | £2,414 | £2,192–£2,878 | 35 | Guide price, includes consultant fee and initial consultation.Diagnostic gastroscopy. |
| Nuffield Health | £2,489 | £2,088–£2,995 | 26 | Guide price, excludes consultant fees, prosthesis and drugs.Diagnostic gastroscopy (upper GI endoscopy). |
Why there is no single figure. These operators define their headline price differently — Nuffield Health says its guide price excludes consultant fees, while Spire Healthcare’s includes a consultant fee and an initial consultation, and Ramsay Health Care UK prints a “from” price without saying what it includes. Their published figures track each other closely across the procedures they share, but that is a pattern in the numbers, not a statement any of them makes. Averaging them would imply a like-for-like comparison no operator has confirmed.
Read from each operator’s own published price pages, 2026-11-07. Prices change and exclusions differ — confirm the total in writing with the hospital before booking. This covers3 of the UK’s private hospital groups, not the whole private market.
Colonoscopy: what the hospital groups publish
What private hospitals publish for diagnostic colonoscopy
78 hospitals across 3 operators publish a price for this procedure. Each operator’s figures are shown separately, against that operator’s own definition of what the price covers.
| Operator | Median | Across its hospitals | Hospitals | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsay Health Care UK | £2,571 | £1,734–£3,308 | 17 | Guide "from" price, inclusions not stated by Ramsay.Diagnostic colonoscopy as a day patient — ambulatory and tissue-removal prices are separate. |
| Spire Healthcare | £3,004 | £2,558–£3,474 | 34 | Guide price, includes consultant fee and initial consultation.Diagnostic colonoscopy — excludes therapeutic polyp removal. |
| Nuffield Health | £3,180 | £2,766–£3,635 | 27 | Guide price, excludes consultant fees, prosthesis and drugs.Diagnostic colonoscopy. |
Why there is no single figure. These operators define their headline price differently — Nuffield Health says its guide price excludes consultant fees, while Spire Healthcare’s includes a consultant fee and an initial consultation, and Ramsay Health Care UK prints a “from” price without saying what it includes. Their published figures track each other closely across the procedures they share, but that is a pattern in the numbers, not a statement any of them makes. Averaging them would imply a like-for-like comparison no operator has confirmed.
Read from each operator’s own published price pages, 2026-11-07. Prices change and exclusions differ — confirm the total in writing with the hospital before booking. This covers3 of the UK’s private hospital groups, not the whole private market.
What is often charged on top
| Item | What we track |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic procedure | Published hospital-group prices, in the tables above |
| Combined gastroscopy and colonoscopy | Not tracked |
| Biopsy and pathology | Not tracked. Ask whether lab fees are included |
| Polyp removal | Not tracked. The colonoscopy figures above are for a diagnostic colonoscopy |
| Sedation or anaesthetic support | Not tracked separately. Ask before booking |
| Consultant follow-up | Not tracked |
The NHS wait for the test
NHS England's diagnostic waiting times (DM01) count the people waiting at the end of each month for a gastroscopy or colonoscopy and how long they have waited so far. It is the wait for the test, not for any treatment that follows, for NHS-funded patients in England. It is a separate collection from the gastroenterology referral-to-treatment list. No self-pay endoscopy wait is published.
Colonoscopy: NHS wait and private price side by side →
Safety context
Digestive symptoms can need urgent clinical assessment. This page sets out access routes and published prices only; it does not advise whether an endoscopy is needed.
See the NHS wait for a colonoscopy beside what the hospital groups publish.
Compare colonoscopy pricesRelated guides
Important context
TreatCompare uses public data, provider-published information, official datasets, structured research and analysis. Figures can change and may not be complete in real time. Use this page for research and comparison only, then verify directly with the relevant provider.
- Source type
- Named public and provider sources
- Primary source
- NHS endoscopy
- Reporting period
- 2026-11-06
- Last updated
- 2026-11-06
- Figure type
- Mixed sources
- Use
- Research and comparison only
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Frequently asked questions
How much does private endoscopy cost in the UK?
Gastroscopy and colonoscopy are priced separately. Nuffield Health, Ramsay Health Care UK and Spire Healthcare publish a price for each at many of their hospitals, and the tables on this page give each operator's median and range, the number of hospitals and what the figure includes. The two operators define their headline figure differently, so they are shown side by side and not averaged.
What is the difference between gastroscopy and colonoscopy?
Gastroscopy examines the upper digestive tract. Colonoscopy examines the large bowel. Some providers offer combined procedures as a single package; no combined price is tracked here.
How long is the NHS wait for an endoscopy?
NHS England publishes monthly waits for gastroscopy and colonoscopy as diagnostic tests (DM01): how long people waiting at month end have waited so far for the test itself. Our NHS vs private colonoscopy page shows the colonoscopy figure.
Are biopsy and sedation included?
Sometimes. Ask whether sedation, biopsy, pathology, polyp removal, consultant review and follow-up are included before comparing prices. The hospital groups' published figures are for a diagnostic procedure; therapeutic work such as polyp removal can be priced separately.
Sources & further reading
- NHS endoscopy — NHS patient information on endoscopy.
- NHS England diagnostic waiting times and activity (DM01) — Monthly waits for gastroscopy and colonoscopy as diagnostic tests, England, NHS-funded patients.
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