Orthopaedic day surgery · Ely
Day orthopaedics in Ely: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£4,565
Knee arthroscopy: Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge · 16 miles away
Carpal tunnel surgery: £2,103 at St Edmunds Hospital (22 miles)
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 Ely
Knee arthroscopy
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Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital
Cambridge · 16 miles away
£4,565Knee Arthroscopy - Key Hole Surgery to Remove Damaged Cartilage
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 £4,565 -
St Edmunds Hospital
Bury St Edmunds · 22 miles away
£4,700Knee Arthroscopy
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, tests before treatment, the operation and care after you go home (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 £4,500 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital
Cambridge · 16 miles away
£5,875Knee Arthroscopy - Key Hole 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 Cambridge Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £5,875
Carpal tunnel surgery
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St Edmunds Hospital
Bury St Edmunds · 22 miles away
£2,103Carpal Tunnel Release (local anaesthetic)
What’s included: Circle’s guide price. Circle says it covers your first consultation, tests before treatment, the operation and care after you go home (first consultation £150). 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 £150 Diagnostic Investigations Included Included Main treatment Included £1,953 · Included Post discharge care Included Included · Included -
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital
Cambridge · 12 miles away
from£3,048Carpal tunnel release (one wrist)
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 £259 on top.
Price breakdown, as published
Published price breakdown, Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital Stage In the price? As published Initial consultation Included £259 Treatment Included from £2,789 Aftercare Included Included -
Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital
Cambridge · 16 miles away
£3,240Carpal Tunnel Release - One Wrist
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 £3,240
See all 3 hospitals side by side
| Hospital | Distance | Knee arthroscopy | Carpal tunnel surgery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital | 12 miles | – | from £3,048 |
| Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital | 16 miles | £4,565 | £3,240 |
| St Edmunds Hospital | 22 miles | £4,700 | £2,103 |
Prices the hospitals publish on their own websites, not quotes. Nobody pays to be listed. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of Ely.
Hospital by hospital
Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, Cambridge, 12 miles away (Spire Healthcare; CQC Good, report August 2026). No published knee arthroscopy price. Carpal tunnel surgery from £3,048 (first consultation £259 included; aftercare included), £945 above the local lowest.
Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, 16 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Outstanding, report November 2016). Knee arthroscopy £4,565 (Knee Arthroscopy - Key Hole Surgery to Remove Damaged Cartilage) or £5,875 (Knee Arthroscopy - Key Hole Surgery) (tests before treatment not included), the lowest locally. Carpal tunnel surgery £3,240 (tests before treatment not included), £1,137 above the local lowest.
St Edmunds Hospital, Bury St Edmunds, 22 miles away (Circle Health Group; CQC Good, report March 2019). Knee arthroscopy £4,700 (first consultation £200 included; aftercare included), £135 above the local lowest. Carpal tunnel surgery £2,103 (first consultation £150 included; aftercare included), the lowest locally.
How the prices compare
Knee arthroscopy: 3 local prices span £1,310, from £4,565 to £5,875; the UK median across 131 published prices is £4,683.
Carpal tunnel surgery: 3 local prices span £1,137, from £2,103 to £3,240; the UK median across 137 published prices is £2,705. The nearest, Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital, is £945 dearer than the cheapest.
2 hospitals near Ely publish both prices. They are Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital and St Edmunds Hospital. below it at 2, by £1,325 to £2,597.
10 to 25 miles of central Ely: Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital (12 miles), Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital (16 miles) and St Edmunds Hospital (22 miles).
Typical for knee arthroscopy: usually a day-case procedure.
Tip: count the journeys for the consultation, the procedure and follow-up when weighing a cheaper hospital further away.
Private or NHS?
- Cost. knee arthroscopy £4,565 to £5,875 at 2 hospitals; carpal tunnel surgery £2,103 to £3,240 at 3 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 Ely
| 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 |
| North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust | 15.9 wks | 55.2% | 54 | 42 wks | 7,105 |
| England | 13.9 wks | 60.9% | 22,043 | 43 wks | 851,183 |
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 16 miles from Ely: 4,462 people on the trauma and orthopaedics list, 58.0% within 18 weeks, 16 over a year, nine in ten within 40 weeks.
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, 26 miles from Ely: 7,105 people on the trauma and orthopaedics list, 55.2% within 18 weeks, 54 over a year, nine in ten within 42 weeks.
These figures cover everyone on the trust’s trauma and orthopaedics list, not only people waiting for a knee arthroscopy and carpal tunnel release, 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, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust on Waiting Times UK.
Other clinics nearby
The CQC register lists 6 independent hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 19 miles: 1 outstanding, 3 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? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital | 12 miles | Good | Yes |
| SpaMedica Cambridge | 14 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| ACES Cambridge Hospital | 15 miles | Good | No |
| Nuffield Health Cambridge Hospital | 16 miles | Outstanding | Yes |
| ACES Cromwell Road Hospital | 18 miles | Good | No |
| Optical Express Wisbech Clinic | 18 miles | Not yet rated | 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.
- For carpal tunnel surgery, weigh St Edmunds Hospital (22 miles) against Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital (12 miles): the £945 saving comes with a longer trip, so ask each how many follow-up visits are included.
- Ask whether an MRI scan is needed first and whether it is in the price.
- Ask whether the price is for one wrist and what both would cost.
Nearby
Knee arthroscopy and carpal tunnel surgery in nearby places
- Ipswich 44 miles
- Milton Keynes 50 miles
- Basildon 58 miles
- Watford 59 miles
- Leicester 61 miles
- Lincoln 66 miles
- Slough 71 miles
- Coventry 75 miles
Other treatments near Ely
This page also covers 2 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: King's Lynn, Littleport.
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, North West Anglia 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.