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Gallbladder removal: NHS wait vs private cost

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy — removal of the gallbladder, usually for gallstones. The current NHS median wait is approximately 14 weeks. Private treatment typically costs £5,500–£9,500.

NHS median wait (England)
14 weeks
Specialty: General Surgery
Long-tail wait (92nd percentile)
38 weeks
115,220 patients waiting
Private cost (typical)
£7,250
Range £5,500–£9,500

NHS wait by city — fastest first

CityMedian waitCompare locally
Plymouth6 weeksSee Plymouth
York6 weeksSee York
Newcastle upon Tyne9 weeksSee Newcastle upon Tyne
Sunderland9 weeksSee Sunderland
Reading10 weeksSee Reading
Leeds11 weeksSee Leeds
Bradford11 weeksSee Bradford
Liverpool11 weeksSee Liverpool
Bristol12 weeksSee Bristol
Stoke-on-Trent12 weeksSee Stoke-on-Trent
Portsmouth13 weeksSee Portsmouth
Coventry14 weeksSee Coventry
Sheffield14 weeksSee Sheffield
Middlesbrough14 weeksSee Middlesbrough
Brighton14 weeksSee Brighton
Oxford14 weeksSee Oxford
Exeter14 weeksSee Exeter
Norwich15 weeksSee Norwich
London15 weeksSee London
Derby15 weeksSee Derby
Blackpool15 weeksSee Blackpool
Preston16 weeksSee Preston
Hull16 weeksSee Hull
Birmingham16 weeksSee Birmingham
Southampton16 weeksSee Southampton
Cambridge18 weeksSee Cambridge
Leicester18 weeksSee Leicester
Manchester18 weeksSee Manchester
Nottingham19 weeksSee Nottingham
Milton Keynes19 weeksSee Milton Keynes

Looking for gallbladder removal waits by postcode?

We also publish wait times by postcode area, mapped to the NHS trust most likely to accept your GP referral.

See gallbladder removal by postcode area →

All English cities