Orthopaedic surgery · Cambridge
Hip and knee replacement in Cambridge: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£14,680
Hip replacement: St Edmunds Hospital, Bury St Edmunds · 25 miles away
Knee replacement: £15,430 at St Edmunds Hospital (25 miles)
Typical price
£17,888
The middle of 4 published hip replacement prices within 25 miles.
Knee replacement: £18,688.
NHS wait so far
15 weeks
Half the people on the trauma and orthopaedics list at Cambridge University 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 Cambridge
Hip replacement
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St Edmunds Hospital
Bury St Edmunds · 25 miles away
£14,680Total Hip Replacement
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, tests before treatment, the operation and post discharge care/ physio (first consultation £200). Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, St Edmunds Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £200 Diagnostic Investigations Included Included Main treatment Included £14,480 · Included Post discharge care/ Physio Included Included · Included -
Pinehill Hospital
Hitchin · 24 miles away
from£17,500Hip Replacement
What’s included: Ramsay calls this a guide price (a “from” price). Its page doesn’t list what’s included, so check with the hospital.
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Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital
Cambridge · 1.1 miles away
£18,275Hip Replacement
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 Cambridge Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £18,275 -
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital
Cambridge · 3.0 miles away
from£18,286Hip replacement
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 £274 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £274 Treatment Included from £18,012 Aftercare Included Included
Knee replacement
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St Edmunds Hospital
Bury St Edmunds · 25 miles away
£15,430Total Knee Replacement
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, tests before treatment, the operation and post discharge care/ physio (first consultation £200). Circle confirms the final price after your consultation.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, St Edmunds Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £200 Diagnostic Investigations Included Included Main treatment Included £15,230 · Included Post discharge care/ Physio Included Included · Included -
Pinehill Hospital
Hitchin · 24 miles away
from£17,500Knee Replacement
What’s included: Ramsay calls this a guide price (a “from” price). Its page doesn’t list what’s included, so check with the hospital.
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Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital
Cambridge · 3.0 miles away
from£19,877Knee replacement
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 £285 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £285 Treatment Included from £19,592 Aftercare Included Included -
Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital
Cambridge · 1.1 miles away
£20,120Knee Replacement
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 Cambridge Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £20,120
See all 4 hospitals side by side
| Hospital | Distance | Hip replacement | Knee replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital | 1.1 miles | £18,275 | £20,120 |
| Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital | 3.0 miles | from £18,286 | from £19,877 |
| Pinehill Hospital | 24 miles | from £17,500 | from £17,500 |
| St Edmunds Hospital | 25 miles | £14,680 | £15,430 |
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Cambridge.
Hospital by hospital
Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, 1.1 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Outstanding, report November 2016). Hip replacement £18,275 (tests before treatment not included), £3,595 above the local lowest. Knee replacement £20,120 (tests before treatment not included), £4,690 above the local lowest.
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, Cambridge, 3.0 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report August 2026). Hip replacement from £18,286 (first consultation £274 included; aftercare included), £3,606 above the local lowest. Knee replacement from £19,877 (first consultation £285 included; aftercare included), £4,447 above the local lowest.
Pinehill Hospital, Hitchin, 24 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report March 2019). Hip replacement from £17,500 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £2,820 above the local lowest. Knee replacement from £17,500 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £2,070 above the local lowest.
St Edmunds Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, 25 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report March 2019). Hip replacement £14,680 (first consultation £200 included; aftercare included), the lowest locally. Knee replacement £15,430 (first consultation £200 included; aftercare included), the lowest locally.
How the prices compare
Hip replacement: 4 local prices span £3,606, from £14,680 to £18,286; the UK median across 158 published prices is £15,500. The nearest, Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, is £3,595 dearer than the cheapest.
Knee replacement: 4 local prices span £4,690, from £15,430 to £20,120; the UK median across 133 published prices is £16,235. The nearest, Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, is £4,690 dearer than the cheapest.
4 hospitals near Cambridge publish both prices. They are Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, Pinehill Hospital and St Edmunds Hospital. Knee replacement is priced above hip replacement at 3 of them, by £750 to £1,845; the same at 1.
Within 5 miles of central Cambridge: Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital (1.1 miles) and Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital (3.0 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Cambridge: Pinehill Hospital (24 miles) and St Edmunds Hospital (25 miles).
Typical for hip replacement: an inpatient stay, usually of a few nights.
Tip: count the journeys for the consultation, the procedure and follow-up when weighing a cheaper hospital further away.
Private or NHS?
- Cost. hip replacement £14,680 to £18,286 at 4 hospitals; knee replacement £15,430 to £20,120 at 4 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Cambridge University Hospitals: half had waited over 15 weeks; 9 in 10 within 40 weeks. England: 14 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 Cambridge
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 15.1 wks | 58.0% | 16 | 40 wks | 4,462 |
| East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust | 19.3 wks | 47.7% | 273 | 50 wks | 4,917 |
| England | 13.9 wks | 60.9% | 22,043 | 43 wks | 851,183 |
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 2.0 miles from Cambridge: 4,462 people on the trauma and orthopaedics list, 58.0% within 18 weeks, 16 over a year, nine in ten within 40 weeks.
East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, 24 miles from Cambridge: 4,917 people on the trauma and orthopaedics list, 47.7% within 18 weeks, 273 over a year, nine in ten within 50 weeks.
These figures cover everyone on the trust’s trauma and orthopaedics list, not only people waiting for a hip replacement and a knee replacement, 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: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 8 independent hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 25 miles: 1 outstanding, 6 good, 1 not yet rated. 4 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 8 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACES Cambridge Hospital | 0.7 miles | Good | No |
| SpaMedica Cambridge | 1.1 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital | 1.1 miles | Outstanding | Yes |
| Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital | 3.0 miles | Good | Yes |
| Cambridge Clear Beauty Limited | 5.5 miles | Good | No |
| Pinehill Hospital | 24 miles | Good | Yes |
| St Edmunds Hospital | 25 miles | Good | Yes |
| Aventus Clinic | 25 miles | Good | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: its published breakdown lists them as not included.
- Ask Pinehill Hospital for an itemised quote, as its price is published as a single figure.
- For hip replacement, weigh St Edmunds Hospital (25 miles) against Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital (1.1 miles): the £3,595 saving comes with a longer trip, so ask each how many follow-up visits are included.
- For knee replacement, weigh St Edmunds Hospital (25 miles) against Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital (1.1 miles): the £4,690 saving comes with a longer trip, so ask each how many follow-up visits are included.
- Ask whether the price includes the first consultation and any X-rays or scans before surgery.
- Ask whether the quote is for a total or a partial knee replacement, and why.
Nearby
Hip and knee replacement in nearby places
- Peterborough 30 miles
- Luton 32 miles
- Colchester 39 miles
- Northampton 44 miles
- London 49 miles
- Southend-on-Sea 51 miles
- Norwich 57 miles
- Leicester 61 miles
Other treatments near Cambridge
This page also covers 7 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Newmarket, Soham, Histon and Impington, Sawston, Great Shelford and Stapleford, Burwell, Waterbeach.
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: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, East and North Hertfordshire Teaching 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.