Paying for shoulder arthroscopy in the UK
Keyhole surgery inside the shoulder joint.
Each row is one way of paying: the NHS, the NHS paying an independent provider, private medical insurance, and paying the provider yourself. Every figure links to the page it was read from, with the date. NHS waits are for England; charges for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are shown where they have been read. Where nothing is published, the table says so.
How each route pays for shoulder arthroscopy
| Route | What it covers | Wait | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHS trust125 trusts, 692,198 people waiting | NHS treatment from the trauma and orthopaedic waiting listThe wait is for the whole specialty list. NHS England publishes no per-procedure wait | 14.5 weeksmedian so far on the trauma and orthopaedic list, England, August 2026; 92nd percentile 42.8 weeks | Not applicableNHS-funded. None of the NHS charges read (dental, prescription, sight test) applies to this |
|
| NHS-funded at an independent-sector provider181 providers, 151,221 people waiting. NHS-funded patients; not like-for-like with trusts | NHS-funded patients on the trauma and orthopaedic list, treated by an independent-sector providerIncludes community providers as well as private hospitals. Not a self-pay wait | 11.4 weeksmedian so far on the trauma and orthopaedic list, England, August 2026; 92nd percentile 34.0 weeks | Not applicableNHS-funded. None of the NHS charges read (dental, prescription, sight test) applies to this |
|
| Private medical insuranceExplained as a mechanism. No insurer or policy is named or compared | Not trackedSet per policy. This site does not read policies | Not trackedNo waiting time for insured patients has been read | Not publishedWhat an insurer pays, and any excess or shortfall, is set per policy | None for this row |
| Self-pay: Nuffield Health | Arthroscopic subacromial decompression (keyhole)Guide price, excludes consultant fees, prosthesis and drugs | Not trackedNo self-pay waiting time has been read for any provider | £6,685median of 23 hospitals, £4,320–£7,996 |
|
| Self-pay: Spire Healthcare | Arthroscopic subacromial decompression — excludes rotator cuff repairGuide price, includes consultant fee and initial consultation | Not trackedNo self-pay waiting time has been read for any provider | £6,201median of 25 hospitals, £5,685–£6,967 |
|
NHS waits are incomplete pathways: how long people still on the list have waited so far, from referral, not the time from referral to treatment. They are per specialty, because NHS England publishes no per-procedure wait. Independent-sector figures are NHS-funded patients, not self-pay.
Self-pay prices are each hospital group’s own figure, side by side with its own basis. They are not merged, because the groups do not price the same things.
More on shoulder arthroscopy
Sources
- NHS England RTT waiting times, provider extract, August 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Nuffield Health published prices. Read 5 October 2026.
- Spire Healthcare published prices. Read 7 October 2026.
This page presents published data. It does not recommend a route, a provider or an insurer.