Orthopaedic day surgery · Ipswich
Day orthopaedics in Ipswich: what it costs, and the NHS wait
Prices checked 9 Nov 2026
Cheapest nearby
£4,700
Knee arthroscopy: St Edmunds Hospital, Bury St Edmunds · 22 miles away
Carpal tunnel surgery: £2,103 at St Edmunds Hospital (22 miles)
NHS wait so far
18 weeks
Half the people on the trauma and orthopaedics list at West Suffolk 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 Ipswich
Knee arthroscopy
Sort by
-
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 Ipswich Hospital
Ipswich · 3.5 miles away
£5,125Knee 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 Ipswich Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £5,125 -
Oaks Hospital
Colchester · 15 miles away
from£5,314Knee Arthroscopy (key hole surgery)
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.
Carpal tunnel surgery
Sort by
-
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 -
Oaks Hospital
Colchester · 15 miles away
from£3,127Carpal Tunnel Release - One Wrist
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.
-
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital
Ipswich · 3.5 miles away
£3,206Carpal 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 Ipswich Hospital Stage In the price? As published Diagnostic Investigations Not included Charged separately Main treatment Included £3,206
See all 3 hospitals side by side
| Hospital | Distance | Knee arthroscopy | Carpal tunnel surgery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital | 3.5 miles | £5,125 | £3,206 |
| Oaks Hospital | 15 miles | from £5,314 | from £3,127 |
| 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 Ipswich.
Hospital by hospital
Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich, 3.5 miles away (Nuffield Health; CQC Good, report November 2016). Knee arthroscopy £5,125 (tests before treatment not included), £425 above the local lowest. Carpal tunnel surgery £3,206 (tests before treatment not included), £1,103 above the local lowest.
Oaks Hospital, Colchester, 15 miles away (Ramsay Health Care UK; CQC Good, report March 2017). Knee arthroscopy from £5,314 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £614 above the local lowest. Carpal tunnel surgery from £3,127 (single guide figure, no breakdown), £1,024 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), the lowest locally. Carpal tunnel surgery £2,103 (first consultation £150 included; aftercare included), the lowest locally.
How the prices compare
Knee arthroscopy: 3 local prices span £614, from £4,700 to £5,314; the UK median across 131 published prices is £4,683. The nearest, Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, is £425 dearer than the cheapest.
Carpal tunnel surgery: 3 local prices span £1,103, from £2,103 to £3,206; the UK median across 137 published prices is £2,705. The nearest, Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, is £1,103 dearer than the cheapest.
3 hospitals near Ipswich publish both prices. They are Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital, Oaks Hospital and St Edmunds Hospital. below it at 3, by £1,919 to £2,597.
Within 5 miles of central Ipswich: Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital (3.5 miles).
10 to 25 miles of central Ipswich: Oaks Hospital (15 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 £4,700 to £5,314 at 3 hospitals; carpal tunnel surgery £2,103 to £3,206 at 3 hospitals. Free on the NHS.
- Wait. West Suffolk: half had waited over 18 weeks; 9 in 10 within 44 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 Ipswich
| NHS trust | Median wait | Under 18 weeks | Over a year | 9 in 10 within | On the list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust | 17.6 wks | 51.2% | 72 | 44 wks | 4,215 |
| Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 18.6 wks | 48.2% | 819 | 55 wks | 8,469 |
| England | 13.9 wks | 60.9% | 22,043 | 43 wks | 851,183 |
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, 22 miles from Ipswich: 4,215 people on the trauma and orthopaedics list, 51.2% within 18 weeks, 72 over a year, nine in ten within 44 weeks.
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 39 miles from Ipswich: 8,469 people on the trauma and orthopaedics list, 48.2% within 18 weeks, 819 over a year, nine in ten within 55 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: 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 5 independent hospitals registered with the CQC to do surgery within 25 miles: 3 good, 2 not yet rated. 3 of them publish a price we could check here; ask the others directly.
The 5 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 |
| Oaks Hospital | 15 miles | Good | Yes |
| Newmedica Bury St Edmunds | 21 miles | Not yet rated | No |
| St Edmunds Hospital | 22 miles | Good | Yes |
Questions to ask before booking
- Ask Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital what tests before treatment would cost: its published breakdown lists them as not included.
- Ask Oaks Hospital for an itemised quote, as its price is published as a single figure.
- For knee arthroscopy, weigh St Edmunds Hospital (22 miles) against Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital (3.5 miles): the £425 saving comes with a longer trip, so ask each how many follow-up visits are included.
- For carpal tunnel surgery, weigh St Edmunds Hospital (22 miles) against Nuffield Health Ipswich Hospital (3.5 miles): the £1,103 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
- Ely 44 miles
- Basildon 45 miles
- Maidstone 61 miles
- Watford 72 miles
- Milton Keynes 81 miles
- Slough 83 miles
- Crawley 86 miles
- Leicester 104 miles
Other treatments near Ipswich
This page also covers 6 nearby places with the same hospitals and NHS trust: Sudbury, Stowmarket, Kesgrave, Hadleigh, 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, 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: 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.