Diagnostic imaging · Ipswich
MRI scans in Ipswich: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£589
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich · 3.5 miles away
NHS wait
About 9 in 10
on the MRI list at West Suffolk had waited under 6 weeks (August 2026).
People already on the list. It can’t tell you your own wait.
Prices near Ipswich
-
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital
Ipswich · 3.5 miles away
£589MRI 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.
-
Oaks Hospital
Colchester · 15 miles away
from£609MRI (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.
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Ipswich.
Hospital by hospital
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich, 3.5 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report November 2016). MRI £589 (single guide figure, no breakdown), the lowest locally.
Oaks Hospital, Colchester, 15 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report March 2017). MRI from £609 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £20 above the local lowest.
How the prices compare
MRI scans: 2 local prices span £20, from £589 to £609; the UK median across 93 published prices is £545.
Within 5 miles of central Ipswich: Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital (3.5 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Ipswich: Oaks Hospital (15 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 £589 to £609 at 2 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. West Suffolk: about 9 in 10 (92.8%) 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 Ipswich
| NHS trust | Under 6 weeks | 6 weeks or more | 13 weeks or more | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust | 92.8% | 59 | 2 | 820 |
| Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 87.5% | 521 | 190 | 4,184 |
| England | 78.0% | 78,471 | 16,345 | 357,356 |
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, 22 miles from Ipswich: 820 people waiting for MRI, 92.8% under six weeks, 2 at 13 weeks or more.
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 39 miles from Ipswich: 4,184 people waiting for MRI, 87.5% under six weeks, 190 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: West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 6 independent scanning centres and hospitals registered with the CQC to do scans and tests within 25 miles: 4 good, 2 not yet rated. 2 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 6 nearest
| Location | Distance | Rating (CQC) | Price shown above? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital | 3.5 miles | Good | Yes |
| SpaMedica Colchester | 13 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| Turner Diagnostic Centre | 15 miles | Good | No |
| Oaks Hospital | 15 miles | Good | Yes |
| Newmedica Bury St Edmunds | 21 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| St Edmunds Hospital | 22 miles | Good | No |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital and Oaks 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
- Colchester 15 miles
- Southend-on-Sea 40 miles
- Norwich 41 miles
- Cambridge 44 miles
- Maidstone 61 miles
- Luton 68 miles
- Peterborough 69 miles
- Watford 72 miles
Other treatments near Ipswich
This page also covers 11 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Felixstowe, Sudbury, Stowmarket, Harwich, Kesgrave, Woodbridge, Hadleigh, Walton-on-the-Naze, Kirby Cross, Leiston, Needham Market.
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: West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals 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.