General surgery · Reading
Hernia repair in Reading: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
from£3,761
Spire Clare Park Hospital, Farnham · 16 miles away
Typical price
£4,183
The middle of 4 published hernia repair prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
10 weeks
Half the people on the general surgery list at Royal Berkshire 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 Reading
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Spire Clare Park Hospital
Farnham · 16 miles away
from£3,761Hernia repair - groin (Inguinal) - open surgery
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 £249 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Clare Park Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £249 Treatment Included from £3,512 Aftercare Included Included -
Spire Thames Valley Hospital
Slough · 18 miles away
from£4,021Hernia repair - groin (Inguinal) - open surgery
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 £250 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Thames Valley Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £250 Treatment Included from £3,771 Aftercare Included Included -
Nuffield Health Woking Hospital
Woking · 19 miles away
£4,345Hernia Repair - Groin Inguinal - Open Surgery
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 Woking Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £4,345 -
Nuffield Health Guildford Hospital
Guildford · 21 miles away
£4,490Hernia Repair - Groin Inguinal - Open Surgery
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 Guildford Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £4,490
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Reading.
Hospital by hospital
Spire Clare Park Hospital, Farnham, 16 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report October 2024). Hernia repair from £3,761 (first consultation £249 included; aftercare included), the lowest locally.
Spire Thames Valley Hospital, Slough, 18 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report February 2020). Hernia repair from £4,021 (first consultation £250 included; aftercare included), £260 above the local lowest.
Nuffield Health Woking Hospital, Woking, 19 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report August 2017). Hernia repair £4,345 (tests before treatment not included), £584 above the local lowest.
Nuffield Health Guildford Hospital, Guildford, 21 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report July 2019). Hernia repair £4,490 (tests before treatment not included), £729 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
Hernia repair: 4 local prices span £729, from £3,761 to £4,490; the UK median across 101 published prices is £4,011.
10 to 25 miles of central Reading: Spire Clare Park Hospital (16 miles), Spire Thames Valley Hospital (18 miles), Nuffield Health Woking Hospital (19 miles) and Nuffield Health Guildford Hospital (21 miles).
Typical for hernia repair: often 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. hernia repair £3,761 to £4,490 at 4 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Royal Berkshire: half had waited over 10 weeks; 9 in 10 within 24 weeks. England: 13 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 Reading
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | 9.8 wks | 81.5% | 1 | 24 wks | 2,901 |
| Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust | 15.2 wks | 57.5% | 5 | 41 wks | 2,470 |
| England | 12.8 wks | 63.2% | 8,213 | 42 wks | 384,914 |
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, 0.7 miles from Reading: 2,901 people on the general surgery list, 81.5% within 18 weeks, 1 over a year, nine in ten within 24 weeks.
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, 21 miles from Reading: 2,470 people on the general surgery list, 57.5% within 18 weeks, 5 over a year, nine in ten within 41 weeks.
These figures cover everyone on the trust’s general surgery list, not only people waiting for a hernia repair, 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: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 10 independent hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 9.3 miles: 4 good, 1 requires improvement, 5 not yet rated. 0 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 10 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thames Valley General Surgery (TVGS) (1) | 0.7 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| CircleReading | 1.0 miles | Good | No |
| The Berkshire Independent Hospital | 1.1 miles | Good | No |
| Thames Valley General Surgery (TVGS) (3) | 1.1 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Thames Valley General Surgery (TVGS) (2) | 1.2 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Spire Dunedin Hospital | 1.2 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Wokingham | 5.5 miles | Good | No |
| Evolutio Care Innovations | 6.7 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Berkshire Grove Hospital | 8.9 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Chiltern Medical Clinic, Goring on Thames | 9.3 miles | Requires improvement | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Guildford Hospital and Nuffield Health Woking Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: their published breakdown lists them as not included.
- Ask whether the quote is for open or keyhole repair, and for one side or both.
Nearby
Hernia repair in nearby places
- London 36 miles
- Luton 39 miles
- Crawley 41 miles
- Chichester 42 miles
- Portsmouth 43 miles
- Salisbury 44 miles
- Bath 61 miles
- Bournemouth 63 miles
Other treatments near Reading
This page also covers 7 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Wokingham, Caversham, Woodley, Winnersh, Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross, Burghfield Common, Shinfield.
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: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS 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.