Waiting times to see a consultant – NHS vs private

Current NHS waiting times to see a consultant

According to the NHS website:

“Under the NHS Constitution, if your GP refers you for a condition that’s not urgent, you have the right to start treatment led by a consultant within 18 weeks from when you’re referred, unless you want to wait longer or waiting longer is clinically right for you.”¹

While waiting four and a half months to see a consultant may not sound like too much of a stretch, bear in mind that this isn’t always the case. For example, the current waiting time for an orthopaedic consultant at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals and NHS Foundation Trust is 25 weeks.² This means that a number of people are currently waiting longer than 18 weeks to see an orthopaedic consultant.

While the data is a little sparse on the number of people waiting to see a consultant, crunching our own numbers can give us an idea.

The table below provides an illustration of how long gynaecology patients can expect to wait in seven randomly-chosen NHS hospitals across the UK. An average has also been calculated.

(NHS times accurate as of 4th February 2025)

As you can see, the only hospital with an expected waiting time to see a gynaecology consultant below the 18 week aim is Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

Another figure that may shed more light on consultant waiting times is the number of people currently on the NHS waiting list (referral to treatment). According to the British Medical Association, as of November 2024, there were 7.48 million waiting for treatment. This number has been consistently above 7 million since August 2022. It would be reasonable to deduce that the number simply waiting for a hospital appointment to get on this list is much higher.

How long is the wait to see a consultant privately?

As with private surgery waiting times, the expected time to see a consultant privately is much shorter than the NHS.

While it’s tricky to provide an accurate idea as to an average waiting time for a private consultation, the waiting time should be no longer than 8 weeks.

With Wellsoon from Practice Plus Group, the waiting time to see a consultant is just 1-2 weeks. This is regardless of treatment type or hospital location. Subsequent hospital treatment (if needed) takes place between 4-6 afterwards.

The table in the next section illustrates the current differences between NHS and private consultation waiting times across England.

“Patients need to make sure they’re eligible for surgery. Keeping themselves in good physical condition can go a long way to ensuring their surgery takes place on the scheduled time and date.”

Nawar Abdulsattar, consultant orthopaedic surgeon

Comparing private vs NHS consultant waiting times

When all is said and done, there’s no getting away from the fact that the time spent waiting to see a private consultant is much shorter than doing so with the NHS. Although you need to pay to see a private consultant, some healthcare providers have specialist availability within days. These appointments are typically accessed online, where patients are able to choose a timeslot on a day that suits them.

Another benefit of private consultations is the absence of needing a GP referral. More often than not, patients wishing to access their treatment via the NHS need a referral from their GP beforehand. This often adds more time as the patient must wait for a GP appointment.

(*NHS times accurate as of 4th February 2025
**Private waiting times are an estimate based on research across a number of healthcare providers.)

Is it worth paying for a private consultation to avoid waiting times?

The answer to this depends entirely on your personal and individual circumstances. Some people choose to wait longer due to financial, medical, or sometimes even ethical reasons.

With regards to cost, private consultations in the UK range from £95 to upwards of £500 depending on:

• the hospital location
• private healthcare provider
• type of treatment
• whatever diagnostic tests may be needed
• availability and experience level of the consultant you choose.

Patients that want to have their treatment with the NHS can still cut their potential waiting time. Active monitoring of websites such as My Planned Care,* combined with a willingness to travel around the country can result in a much shorter wait than expected.
(*Practice Plus Group is not responsible for and does not control the content displayed on external websites.)

Hear from a past patient

“I called the patient helpline and paid £95 for a consultation with Mr Lovasz the consultant at their nearest hospital in Barlborough a week later and was very impressed and his online reviews were really good. Even though it was a two-hour drive from home, I felt this was my best option to get expert care sooner.”

Linda Hand, hip replacement patient at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Barlborough

The benefits of seeing a private consultant

As we’ve seen in this article, one of the main benefits of private consultants is the shorter waiting times. But the benefits don’t stop there. Often choosing your treatment privately results in the flexibility to choose when, where, and with whom you have your consultation.

With Wellsoon from Practice Plus Group, the price you see is the price you pay. Which means, at your surgery consultation, diagnostics tests such as bloods and x-rays are all included in the £95 price.

Sources and references

¹ Referrals for specialist care

² My Planned Care: Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Trust

British Medical Association: NHS Delivery & workforce

NHS.co.uk: When to go to A&E

NHS East Sussex Healthcare: Urgent suspected cancer services

Acknowledgements