General surgery · St Helens
Hernia repair in St Helens: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£3,381
Fairfield Independent Hospital, St. Helens · 2.6 miles away
Typical price
£3,869
The middle of 9 published hernia repair prices within 25 miles.
NHS wait so far
14 weeks
Half the people on the general surgery list at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching 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 St Helens
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Fairfield Independent Hospital
St. Helens · 2.6 miles away
£3,381Hernia repair surgery
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £140). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Fairfield Independent Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £140 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £3,241 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
Spire Liverpool Hospital
Liverpool · 8.8 miles away
from£3,678Hernia 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 £179 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Liverpool Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £179 Treatment Included from £3,499 Aftercare Included Included -
Spire Cheshire Hospital
Warrington · 10 miles away
from£3,755Hernia 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 £216 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Cheshire Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £216 Treatment Included from £3,539 Aftercare Included Included -
Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral
Wirral · 16 miles away
from£3,772Hernia 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 £205 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £205 Treatment Included from £3,567 Aftercare Included Included -
Spire Manchester Hospital
Manchester · 20 miles away
from£3,869Hernia 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 £242 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Manchester Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £242 Treatment Included from £3,627 Aftercare Included Included -
Nuffield Health Chester Hospital
Chester · 20 miles away
£3,910Hernia 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 Chester Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,910 -
Spire Manchester Hospital
Manchester · 20 miles away
from£3,942Hernia 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 £251 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Manchester Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £251 Treatment Included from £3,691 Aftercare Included Included -
The Alexandra Hospital
Cheadle · 22 miles away
£4,505Primary repair of inguinal hernia
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £200). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, The Alexandra Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £200 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £2,855 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
The Alexandra Hospital
Cheadle · 22 miles away
£5,105Laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia - unilateral
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £200). Not included: tests before treatment. Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, The Alexandra Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £200 Diagnostic Investigations Not included Not included Main treatment Included £2,950 · 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 St Helens.
Hospital by hospital
Fairfield Independent Hospital, St. Helens, 2.6 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report January 2017). Hernia repair £3,381 (first consultation £140 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), the lowest locally.
Spire Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, 8.8 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report October 2022). Hernia repair from £3,678 (first consultation £179 included; aftercare included), £297 above the local lowest.
Spire Cheshire Hospital, Warrington, 10 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Outstanding, report May 2017). Hernia repair from £3,755 (first consultation £216 included; aftercare included), £374 above the local lowest.
Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral, Wirral, 16 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report July 2022). Hernia repair from £3,772 (first consultation £205 included; aftercare included), £391 above the local lowest.
Nuffield Health Chester Hospital, Chester, 20 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report December 2016). Hernia repair £3,910 (tests before treatment not included), £529 above the local lowest.
Spire Manchester Hospital, Manchester, 20 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Outstanding, report October 2022). Hernia repair from £3,869 (first consultation £242 included; aftercare included), £488 above the local lowest.
Spire Manchester Hospital, Manchester, 20 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Outstanding, report October 2022). Hernia repair from £3,942 (first consultation £251 included; aftercare included), £561 above the local lowest.
The Alexandra Hospital, Cheadle, 22 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report March 2022). Hernia repair £4,505 (Primary repair of inguinal hernia) or £5,105 (Laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia - unilateral) (first consultation £200 included; tests before treatment not included; aftercare included), £1,124 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
Hernia repair: 9 local prices span £1,724, from £3,381 to £5,105; the UK median across 101 published prices is £4,011.
Within 5 miles of central St Helens: Fairfield Independent Hospital (2.6 miles).
5 to 10 miles of central St Helens: Spire Liverpool Hospital (8.8 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central St Helens: Spire Cheshire Hospital (10 miles), Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral (16 miles), Nuffield Health Chester Hospital (20 miles), Spire Manchester Hospital (20 miles), Spire Manchester Hospital (20 miles) and The Alexandra Hospital (22 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 £3,381 to £5,105 at 8 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals: half had waited over 14 weeks; 9 in 10 within 43 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 St Helens
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 14.1 wks | 60.3% | 177 | 43 wks | 6,314 |
| North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust | 10.5 wks | 75.8% | 2 | 33 wks | 718 |
| England | 12.8 wks | 63.2% | 8,213 | 42 wks | 384,914 |
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, 2.7 miles from St Helens: 6,314 people on the general surgery list, 60.3% within 18 weeks, 177 over a year, nine in ten within 43 weeks.
North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust, 6.4 miles from St Helens: 718 people on the general surgery list, 75.8% within 18 weeks, 2 over a year, nine in ten within 33 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: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on Waiting Times UK, North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 12 independent hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 9.3 miles: 2 outstanding, 3 good, 3 requires improvement, 4 not yet rated. 2 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 12 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASET Hospital | 2.4 miles | Requires improvement | No |
| Fairfield Independent Hospital | 2.6 miles | Good | Yes |
| Pall Mall Medical Diagnostic Treatment Centre | 4.1 miles | Requires improvement | No |
| SpaMedica Haydock | 4.5 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| SpaMedica Widnes | 5.8 miles | Outstanding | No |
| SpaMedica Skelmersdale | 7.3 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Community Health and Eyecare Warrington | 7.5 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| North West Aesthetics | 8.3 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Liverpool | 8.4 miles | Outstanding | No |
| The Cheshire Hand Clinic | 8.6 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Liverpool Skin Clinic | 8.6 miles | Requires improvement | No |
| Spire Liverpool Hospital | 8.8 miles | Good | Yes |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Fairfield Independent Hospital, Nuffield Health Chester Hospital and The Alexandra 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
- Chester 19 miles
- Manchester 22 miles
- Blackburn 23 miles
- Rochdale 26 miles
- Blackpool 27 miles
- Huddersfield 41 miles
- Lancaster 42 miles
- Sheffield 53 miles
Other treatments near St Helens
This page also covers 2 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Orrell, Rainford.
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: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on Waiting Times UK, North Cheshire and Mersey 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.