Consultations, scans and tests
What do private health care costs come to in the UK?
Most private healthcare spending happens before anyone reaches an operating theatre: a consultation, a scan, a blood test, a scope. Those prices are quoted differently from surgery, they are often genuinely published, and they are the ones most people meet first. Below are real published prices with the date they were published, plus what moves them. Tell us what you need and relevant clinics will quote you directly.
Published UK private consultation, scan and test prices, June 2026
Last updated
These are real published prices, not estimates. They come from the national treatment price list of one UK private hospital group, Practice Plus Group, which states its prices were correct as at June 2026. We publish them because a dated, checkable figure from a named provider is more useful than an invented market average.
Every figure below is taken from the published national price list of Practice Plus Group (practiceplusgroup.com), stated on that page as correct as at June 2026 and subject to change without prior notice. This is one group's list, not a UK average: other providers price per hospital, London and central London list prices are commonly higher, and prices move. Treat these as an anchor for what a published UK price looks like, then get a quote for your own postcode. That price list also states there will be a charge for any diagnostic tests required as a result of your initial consultation, so a consultation fee and a scan fee are separate purchases.
| Service | Published price (June 2026) | What changes it |
|---|---|---|
| Initial consultant consultation | £145 | That list states this includes a nurse assessment, any necessary bloods and swabs and an x-ray if required. Consultant fees elsewhere are set individually. |
| Private GP appointment | £95 | Follow-up appointments are listed separately at £49 |
| MRI scan, one body part | £350 | Priced per body part: two parts £588, three £825, four £1,063, five £1,300, six £1,537 |
| CT scan, one body part | £350 | Two body parts £588, three £825. Contrast injection is listed separately at £190 |
| Ultrasound scan, one body part | £236 | Guided procedures cost more than a plain diagnostic scan |
| Echocardiogram | £236 | A different scan from an ECG; check which one has been requested |
| Gastroscopy | £1,449 | Sedation, biopsies and pathology may sit outside a scope price at other providers |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | £1,449 | Bowel preparation is normally supplied with the appointment |
| Colonoscopy | £1,949 | The most involved of the three lower and upper endoscopy options listed |
| Spirometry test | £149 | A lung function test, often requested before other investigations |
- A UK private hospital group published an initial consultant consultation at £145 and a private GP appointment at £95 on its national price list, prices correct as at June 2026 (Practice Plus Group).
- Private MRI and CT are priced per body part: on the same June 2026 published list, one body part is £350 and six body parts £1,537 for MRI.
- PHIN, the government-mandated private healthcare information body, puts a private specialist consultation at typically between £150 and £300 and says it is almost never included in the cost of any subsequent surgery (PHIN, updated 16 June 2026).
Cite this page
“Published UK private consultation, scan and test prices, June 2026”, Private Health Costs, https://privatehealthcosts.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-15). Every figure below is taken from the published national price list of Practice Plus Group (practiceplusgroup.com), stated on that page as correct as at June 2026 and subject to change without prior notice. This is one group's list, not a UK average: other providers price per hospital, London and central London list prices are commonly higher, and prices move. Treat these as an anchor for what a published UK price looks like, then get a quote for your own postcode. That price list also states there will be a charge for any diagnostic tests required as a result of your initial consultation, so a consultation fee and a scan fee are separate purchases.
The detail
Each one cites where its numbers come from.
The process
- Tell us what you need, whether you have a referral and roughly when. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to relevant private clinics and diagnostic providers covering your postcode, and to no one else.
- They contact you with their own price and their referral policy. You compare, ask questions, or do nothing.
Private Health Costs is a free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. We pass your details to relevant private clinics and diagnostic providers, who contact you directly with their own prices. We may receive a fee from those providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not a healthcare provider, we are not affiliated with PHIN, the Care Quality Commission, the NHS, the General Medical Council or any provider named here, and nothing on this site is medical advice. Prices are quoted from the published sources named, with the date those sources give.
Questions, answered directly
How much does private healthcare cost in the UK before surgery?
The main pre-surgery costs are the consultation and the diagnostics. PHIN puts a private specialist consultation at typically between £150 and £300. On one UK group's published national list, correct as at June 2026, an initial consultation was £145, an MRI of one body part £350, an ultrasound £236 and a colonoscopy £1,949.
Are private scans priced per scan or per body part?
Per body part, for MRI and CT. On a published UK list correct as at June 2026, MRI of one body part was £350 and six body parts £1,537, and CT ran from £350 for one part to £825 for three. If your referral names two areas, expect a two-part price, and check whether contrast is extra.
Do I need a GP referral for private tests and scans?
It depends on the provider. Some private imaging and testing providers accept self-referral; others require a GP or consultant referral. Within the NHS you generally cannot self-refer to a hospital specialist at all. The NHS also advises getting a GP referral letter before seeing a private specialist, because it carries your medical history.
Is the written report included when I pay for a private scan?
Not always, and it is worth asking in writing. Some providers quote a scan-and-report price while others price the images and charge separately for the radiologist's report. Confirm that a written report is included and who it will be sent to before you book.
How do I check a private clinic is properly regulated?
In England, check its Care Quality Commission registration. Diagnostic and screening procedures is a regulated activity in its own right, and CQC states it is an offence to carry on a regulated activity without being registered. Providers must display their CQC rating where you can see it and on their website. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulators.
Is this quote service free?
Yes, free to you and with no obligation. We pass your details only to relevant private clinics and diagnostic providers, who contact you with their own prices. We may receive a fee from those providers, which is how the service is funded. We are not a healthcare provider and nothing here is medical advice.
Sources
- Practice Plus Group. Treatment price list, prices correct as at June 2026
- PHIN (Private Healthcare Information Network). About private hospital pricing in the UK, updated 16 June 2026
- PHIN. Search consultants and hospitals
- Care Quality Commission. Scope of registration: the regulated activities, updated 29 January 2025
- Care Quality Commission. The fundamental standards of care, updated 3 March 2026
- Care Quality Commission. Independent healthcare services: information for providers
- NHS. Referrals for specialist care
- NHS. Guide to NHS waiting times in England