Endoscopy · Colchester
Colonoscopy and gastroscopy in Colchester: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£3,474
Colonoscopy: Spire Wellesley Hospital, Southend-on-Sea · 25 miles away
Gastroscopy: £2,785 at Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital (18 miles)
NHS wait
About 8 in 10
on the endoscopy list at East Suffolk and North Essex had waited under 6 weeks (August 2026).
People already on the list. It can’t tell you your own wait.
Prices near Colchester
Colonoscopy
-
Spire Wellesley Hospital
Southend-on-Sea · 25 miles away
from£3,474Bowel examination (colonoscopy)
What’s included: Spire’s fixed self-pay package. Spire says it covers tests before your operation, the surgeon’s and anaesthetist’s fees, nursing, medicines and food during your stay, and any standard implant, plus aftercare: follow-up appointments, stitches, dressings and up to 14 days of medicines. The first consultation is £231 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Wellesley Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £231 Treatment Included from £3,243 Aftercare Included Included -
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital
Ipswich · 18 miles away
£3,563Bowel Examination - Colonoscopy
What’s included: Nuffield’s guide price for the treatment. Nuffield says tests before treatment are charged separately, and you get a fixed, all-inclusive price after your first consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,563
Gastroscopy
-
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital
Ipswich · 18 miles away
£2,785Stomach Examination - Gastroscopy, also known as Endoscopy
What’s included: Nuffield’s guide price for the treatment. Nuffield says tests before treatment are charged separately, and you get a fixed, all-inclusive price after your first consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £2,785 -
Spire Wellesley Hospital
Southend-on-Sea · 25 miles away
from£2,878Stomach examination (gastroscopy, also known as endoscopy)
What’s included: Spire’s fixed self-pay package. Spire says it covers tests before your operation, the surgeon’s and anaesthetist’s fees, nursing, medicines and food during your stay, and any standard implant, plus aftercare: follow-up appointments, stitches, dressings and up to 14 days of medicines. The first consultation is £231 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Wellesley Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £231 Treatment Included from £2,647 Aftercare Included Included
See all 2 hospitals side by side
| Hospital | Distance | Colonoscopy | Gastroscopy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital | 18 miles | £3,563 | £2,785 |
| Spire Wellesley Hospital | 25 miles | from £3,474 | from £2,878 |
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Colchester.
Hospital by hospital
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich, 18 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report November 2016). Colonoscopy £3,563 (tests before treatment not included), £89 above the local lowest. Gastroscopy £2,785 (tests before treatment not included), the lowest locally.
Spire Wellesley Hospital, Southend-on-Sea, 25 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report October 2026). Colonoscopy from £3,474 (first consultation £231 included; aftercare included), the lowest locally. Gastroscopy from £2,878 (first consultation £231 included; aftercare included), £93 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
Colonoscopy: 2 local prices span £89, from £3,474 to £3,563; the UK median across 91 published prices is £2,917. The nearest, Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, is £89 dearer than the cheapest.
Gastroscopy: 2 local prices span £93, from £2,785 to £2,878; the UK median across 88 published prices is £2,300.
2 hospitals near Colchester publish both prices. They are Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital and Spire Wellesley Hospital. below it at 2, by £596 to £778.
10 to 25 miles of central Colchester: Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital (18 miles) and Spire Wellesley Hospital (25 miles).
Typical for colonoscopy: a day-case test.
Tip: count the journeys for the consultation, the procedure and follow-up when weighing a cheaper hospital further away.
Private or NHS?
- Cost. colonoscopy £3,474 to £3,563 at 2 hospitals; gastroscopy £2,785 to £2,878 at 2 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. East Suffolk and North Essex: about 8 in 10 (79.7%) under 6 weeks. England: 69.6%.
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 Colchester
| NHS trust | Under 6 weeks | 6 weeks or more | 13 weeks or more | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust | 79.7% | 491 | 13 | 2,415 |
| Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust | 34.5% | 3,341 | 2,471 | 5,104 |
| England | 69.6% | 60,003 | 26,159 | 197,640 |
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, 1.2 miles from Colchester: 2,415 people waiting for endoscopy, 79.7% under six weeks, 13 at 13 weeks or more.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, 25 miles from Colchester: 5,104 people waiting for endoscopy, 34.5% under six weeks, 2,471 at 13 weeks or more.
NHS England reports colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, cystoscopy and gastroscopy separately; the figure here combines them, so it is the endoscopy list as a whole.
These figures describe people already waiting at the end of the month, not how long a new referral will wait. The NHS standard is that fewer than 1% wait six weeks or more.
Source: NHS England, Monthly Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Month-by-month figures: East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 10 independent hospitals and endoscopy units registered with the CQC to do tests such as endoscopy within 22 miles: 5 good, 5 not yet rated. 1 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 10 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oaks Hospital | 1.1 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Colchester | 2.3 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| InHealth Endoscopy - Suffolk Community Centre | 16 miles | Good | No |
| Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital | 18 miles | Good | Yes |
| Springfield Hospital | 20 miles | Good | No |
| Phoenix Hospital Chelmsford | 21 miles | Good | No |
| ACES Chelmsford Hospital | 21 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| The Surgical Consortium Ltd | 21 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| MDCG Office | 21 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| SpaMedica Chelmsford | 22 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: its published breakdown lists them as not included.
- For colonoscopy, weigh Spire Wellesley Hospital (25 miles) against Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital (18 miles): the £89 saving comes with a longer trip, so ask each how many follow-up visits are included.
- Ask whether sedation and the bowel preparation are in the price.
- Ask whether sedation is included or charged separately.
Nearby
Colonoscopy and gastroscopy in nearby places
- Ipswich 15 miles
- Southend-on-Sea 25 miles
- Cambridge 39 miles
- Maidstone 46 miles
- London 52 miles
- Norwich 54 miles
- Luton 57 miles
- Watford 59 miles
Other treatments near Colchester
This page also covers 3 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Halstead, Berechurch, Wivenhoe.
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, Monthly Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), August 2026 data, published 8 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Month-by-month figures: East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Mid and South Essex 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.