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Guides · Orthopaedics

Private hip and knee replacement: what to expect

Hospital groups sell joint replacement as a fixed-price or guide-price package. The published number is only useful once you know what sits inside it.

Updated 9 Nov 2026

Hip and knee replacement are major planned operations. Privately, most people pay a package price that is meant to cover the operation, the hospital stay, the surgical team and a defined period of aftercare. This guide explains the logistics and the bill. It does not recommend surgery or implant brands.

Consultation and tests

You see an orthopaedic consultant first. Imaging you already have may be enough; sometimes a fresh X-ray or other scan is needed. Pre-operative assessment checks fitness for anaesthetic. Ask whether the first consultation and pre-operative tests are inside the package or billed on top. A lower “from” price can cost more than a higher all-in guide price once those extras are added.

Published package prices

On our treatment pages, published self-pay list prices checked on 9 November 2026 ranged from £12,550 to £19,603 for hip replacement (158 hospital prices) and from £11,195 to £20,120 for knee replacement (133 hospital prices). See hip replacement and knee replacement.

Ask the hospital for a written schedule of what is included and excluded. Typical edges that differ between hospitals:

  • first consultation and diagnostic tests
  • implant choice and whether a specific implant costs extra
  • length of stay included, and the charge if you need longer
  • number of physiotherapy sessions and follow-up clinic visits after discharge
  • what happens if there are complications within the aftercare window

Hospital stay and going home

Many people stay a few nights. Enhanced recovery pathways aim for earlier mobilisation with physiotherapy on the ward. You will need help at home in the first days or weeks: transport, meals, and someone to collect medicines. Ask the hospital what support they arrange and what you must organise yourself. Driving, work and sport restart on clinical advice, not on a generic timetable from a website.

The NHS route

On the NHS, hip and knee replacement sit within trauma and orthopaedics. NHS England publishes waiting times for that specialty as a whole, not for hip or knee replacement alone. In August 2026, half of the 851,183 people on England’s trauma and orthopaedics waiting list had waited 13.9 weeks or less (Referral to Treatment statistics, published 8 October 2026). Local trust figures appear on our city treatment pages where we have matched them.

Not medical advice. This guide covers process, cost and how the NHS and private routes are organised. It does not say whether you need a test or treatment. Decisions about your care sit with you and a clinician who knows your history.

Not affiliated with the NHS. The Doctor is an independent publication. It is not part of, or endorsed by, the NHS, the Care Quality Commission or any provider listed. See our full notice.

Published prices: Hip replacement prices. How we work: methodology.

Also see knee replacement prices.

Sources checked for this guide