Diagnostic imaging · Cambridge
MRI scans in Cambridge: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£430
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, Cambridge · 3.0 miles away
NHS wait
About 7 in 10
on the MRI list at Cambridge University Hospitals had waited under 6 weeks (August 2026).
People already on the list. It can’t tell you your own wait.
Prices near Cambridge
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Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital
Cambridge · 3.0 miles away
£430MRI 1 AREA
What’s included: Spire says its MRI prices include contrast dye when needed and the radiologist’s report. You need a referral letter from a GP or consultant.
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Pinehill Hospital
Hitchin · 24 miles away
from£567MRI (one part)
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
£620MRI Scan (1 part)
What’s included: Nuffield’s guide price for one body part. Nuffield says you get a fixed price after your consultation; check with the hospital whether the report is 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 Cambridge.
Hospital by hospital
Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, 1.1 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Outstanding, report November 2016). MRI £620 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £190 above the local lowest.
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, Cambridge, 3.0 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report August 2026). MRI £430 (single guide figure, no breakdown), the lowest locally.
Pinehill Hospital, Hitchin, 24 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report March 2019). MRI from £567 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £137 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
MRI scans: 3 local prices span £190, from £430 to £620; the UK median across 93 published prices is £545. The nearest, Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, is £190 dearer than the cheapest.
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).
Typical for MRI scan: an outpatient scan.
Tip: count the journeys for the consultation, the procedure and follow-up when weighing a cheaper hospital further away.
Private or NHS?
- Cost. MRI scan £430 to £620 at 3 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. Cambridge University Hospitals: about 7 in 10 (69.1%) under 6 weeks. England: 78.0%.
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 | Under 6 weeks | 6 weeks or more | 13 weeks or more | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 69.1% | 1,252 | 49 | 4,057 |
| East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust | 72.6% | 642 | 50 | 2,339 |
| England | 78.0% | 78,471 | 16,345 | 357,356 |
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 2.0 miles from Cambridge: 4,057 people waiting for MRI, 69.1% under six weeks, 49 at 13 weeks or more.
East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, 24 miles from Cambridge: 2,339 people waiting for MRI, 72.6% under six weeks, 50 at 13 weeks or more.
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: 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 7 independent scanning centres and hospitals registered with the CQC to do scans and tests within 12 miles: 1 outstanding, 3 good, 3 not yet rated. 2 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 7 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 |
| Cambridge Heart Clinic | 2.0 miles | Good | No |
| Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital | 3.0 miles | Good | Yes |
| Daisy Scan | 10 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| GenesisCare Cambridge | 12 miles | Not yet rated | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, Pinehill Hospital and Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital for an itemised quote, as their prices are published as a single figure.
- Ask whether the price includes the radiologist’s report, and how quickly you will get it.
Nearby
MRI scans in nearby places
- Peterborough 30 miles
- Luton 32 miles
- Colchester 39 miles
- Milton Keynes 40 miles
- Ipswich 44 miles
- Watford 45 miles
- Southend-on-Sea 51 miles
- Norwich 57 miles
Other treatments near Cambridge
This page also covers 13 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Ely, Newmarket, St Ives, Cambourne, Soham, Histon and Impington, Godmanchester, Sawston, Great Shelford and Stapleford, Cottenham, Burwell, Waterbeach, Longstanton and Northstowe.
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: 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.