Eye surgery · Swindon
Cataract surgery in Swindon: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£2,099
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Devizes, Devizes · 18 miles away
NHS wait so far
15 weeks
Half the people on the ophthalmology list at Great Western Hospitals had waited longer than this (August 2026).
Time waited so far by everyone on the list. It can’t tell you your own wait.
Prices near Swindon
Sort by
-
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Devizes
Devizes · 18 miles away
£2,099Cataract surgery – standard monofocal lens
What’s included: A fixed treatment price. The first consultation costs £145 on top; Practice Plus says that includes a nurse assessment, any blood tests and swabs needed, and an X-ray if required.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Practice Plus Group Hospital, Devizes Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Devizes
Devizes · 18 miles away
£2,249Cataract surgery – enhanced monofocal lens
What’s included: A fixed treatment price. The first consultation costs £145 on top; Practice Plus says that includes a nurse assessment, any blood tests and swabs needed, and an X-ray if required.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Practice Plus Group Hospital, Devizes Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Not included £145 (charged separately) -
The Ridgeway Hospital
Swindon · 3.0 miles away
£4,285Cataract removal & lens implant - one eye
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £250). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, The Ridgeway Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £250 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £4,035 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Swindon.
Hospital by hospital
The Ridgeway Hospital, Swindon, 3.0 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report September 2026). Cataract surgery £4,285 (first consultation £250 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £2,186 above the local lowest.
Practice Plus Group Hospital, Devizes, Devizes, 18 miles away (Practice Plus Group; CQC Good, report September 2026). Cataract surgery £2,099 (Cataract surgery – standard monofocal lens) or £2,249 (Cataract surgery – enhanced monofocal lens), the lowest locally.
How the prices compare
Cataract surgery: 3 local prices span £2,186, from £2,099 to £4,285; the UK median across 187 published prices is £2,995. The nearest, The Ridgeway Hospital, is £2,186 dearer than the cheapest.
Within 5 miles of central Swindon: The Ridgeway Hospital (3.0 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Swindon: Practice Plus Group Hospital, Devizes (18 miles).
Typical for cataract surgery: usually a day case.
Tip: count the journeys for the consultation, the procedure and follow-up when weighing a cheaper hospital further away.
Private or NHS?
- Cost. cataract surgery £2,099 to £4,285 at 2 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Great Western Hospitals: half had waited over 15 weeks; 9 in 10 within 38 weeks. England: 10 weeks.
Private hospitals usually ask for a referral letter or a consultation first. Not sure which is right for you? Your GP can refer you on the NHS and talk through your options.
The NHS wait near Swindon
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 14.8 wks | 59.3% | 26 | 38 wks | 3,044 |
| Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust | 7.8 wks | 86.0% | 0 | 22 wks | 2,771 |
| England | 10.4 wks | 72.2% | 5,022 | 33 wks | 625,063 |
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 3.7 miles from Swindon: 3,044 people on the ophthalmology list, 59.3% within 18 weeks, 26 over a year, nine in ten within 38 weeks.
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, 28 miles from Swindon: 2,771 people on the ophthalmology list, 86.0% within 18 weeks, 0 over a year, nine in ten within 22 weeks.
These figures cover everyone on the trust’s ophthalmology list, not only people waiting for cataract surgery, and describe time waited so far, not how long a new referral will take.
Source: NHS England, Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times, August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Month-by-month figures: Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 3 independent eye clinics and hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 25 miles: 1 good, 2 not yet rated. 0 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 3 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpaMedica Swindon | 2.7 miles | Good | No |
| Newmedica - Swindon Murdock Road | 3.3 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Newmedica Community Ophthalmology Service | 22 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask The Ridgeway Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: its published breakdown lists them as not included.
- For cataract surgery, weigh Practice Plus Group Hospital, Devizes (18 miles) against The Ridgeway Hospital (3.0 miles): the £2,186 saving comes with a longer trip, so ask each how many follow-up visits are included.
- Ask whether the price is per eye and which lens it includes.
Nearby
Cataract surgery in nearby places
- Oxford 26 miles
- Gloucester 27 miles
- Basingstoke 37 miles
- Wells 44 miles
- Southampton 48 miles
- Slough 52 miles
- Bournemouth 57 miles
- Coventry 59 miles
Other treatments near Swindon
This page also covers 7 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Stratton St Margaret, Royal Wootton Bassett, Marlborough, Highworth, Wroughton, Broad Blunsdon, Shrivenham and Watchfield.
Where these figures come from
Prices: from each hospital’s own price page and breakdown on the date shown next to each price. We store the price, what the page says it includes, the link and the date.
Each hospital group describes its prices differently (guide prices, fixed packages or “from” prices), so read what’s included before comparing totals.
Clinic details and ratings: CQC register (HSCA Active Locations, downloaded 9 November 2026), Open Government Licence v3.0. A rating describes the whole location, not one treatment.
Source: NHS England, Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times, August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Month-by-month figures: Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Typical price is the middle (median) of the published prices within 25 miles, shown only when there are at least four.
Independent. We’re not part of the NHS or any hospital, we’re not clinicians, and nothing here is medical advice. Hospitals can’t pay to appear or to change their position.