Guide
Private endoscopy cost: gastroscopy, colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy
Updated
An endoscopy price is closer to a small procedure price than to a scan price, because it involves a theatre or procedure room, sedation and, frequently, samples that then need laboratory work.
Published prices, June 2026
| Procedure | Published price |
|---|---|
| Gastroscopy | £1,449 |
| Flexible sigmoidoscopy | £1,449 |
| Colonoscopy | £1,949 |
| Nasal endoscopy (ENT outpatient) | £255 |
Taken from the published national price list of Practice Plus Group, stated as correct as at June 2026 and subject to change without prior notice (price list). Nasal endoscopy is included above only to show the gap between an outpatient scope done in a clinic room and a sedated gastrointestinal endoscopy.
The three costs that can sit outside the headline
- Pathology on any samples taken
- If biopsies are taken, they go to a laboratory. PHIN warns that "diagnostics and pathology costs in particular often catch patients out and can contribute significantly to bills" (PHIN, updated 16 June 2026). Ask whether histology is inside the quoted price and what it costs if not.
- Sedation and the sedationist
- Where an anaesthetist is involved rather than nurse-administered sedation, that can be a separate professional fee, in the same way a surgical anaesthetist is. Ask whether you will receive one bill or more than one.
- Anything treated during the procedure
- A diagnostic scope that becomes a therapeutic one, for example removing a polyp, is a different piece of work. Ask what happens to the price if that occurs.
Questions to settle before booking
- Is this a fixed price, and does it include sedation, the procedure room and recovery?
- Is histology on any biopsies included, and if not, what is the charge?
- Will I receive one bill, or separate invoices from the endoscopist and anyone else?
- Is a written report included, and will it go to my GP?
- What is the price if a diagnostic procedure becomes a treatment during the same appointment?
The first three of those are PHIN's own checklist questions adapted to endoscopy: PHIN advises asking whether a price is a package and exactly what it includes or excludes, whether separate bills will arrive, and always to "ask for a written quotation" before agreeing to anything.
The NHS route for the same test
If you have been referred urgently for suspected cancer, the NHS position is specific: "If you're referred for an urgent cancer check, cancer should be confirmed or ruled out within 28 days of the referral", as part of the Faster Diagnosis Standard (NHS guide to waiting times in England). If that pathway has started for you, it is worth asking the referring team what date they expect before booking anything privately.
This page is about cost, not about whether a test is right for you. That is a clinical decision for a doctor who knows your history. Nothing here is medical advice.