Private surgery in the UK is paid for in three parts: the hospital, the surgeon, and the anaesthetist bill separately. If you are insured, you will need authorisation covering all three — and it is worth confirming specifically that your policy covers a central London hospital. If you are paying for yourself, a written quote covering all three — hospital, surgeon and anaesthetist — is available to any patient on request, usually the same working day, and is agreed with you before you are admitted. This page sets out how it works, what to check, and where the avoidable problems arise.
Last reviewed: August 2026 · Dr Lawrence Okiror FRCS(CTh) FRCSEd(CTh) · GMC 6150382
Hospital, surgeon and anaesthetist invoice independently. Each is authorised or settled on its own. This is standard across UK private practice and surprises most patients the first time.
Some policies restrict cover by hospital band or exclude central London. Confirming this at the point of authorisation prevents the most common avoidable problem.
A written quote covering all three fees is available to any patient who asks, usually the same working day, and agreed with you before admission.
New appointments, face-to-face or virtual, are £250–£350. Follow-up appointments are £200–£275. Self-referrals are welcome and no GP letter is needed to book.
Surgical fees are separate and are discussed at the consultation itself, once it is clear what operation is actually being considered. That order matters: quoting for an operation before assessing whether it is the right operation puts the cart before the horse. A good proportion of consultations end without surgery being recommended at all.
Because private surgery in the UK is delivered by three independent parties, each of which bills you separately. Almost everyone finds this surprising the first time, and it is worth understanding before the invoices arrive rather than after.
Operating theatre, your bed and nursing care, scans, medicines, and everything else the hospital provides. This is usually the largest of the three.
The operation itself, and the care of you around it — including seeing you on the ward each day and your follow-up appointment afterwards.
The anaesthetic and your pain management afterwards. A separate consultant, working with Dr Okiror, who will meet you before your operation and who invoices independently.
Three invoices, from three organisations. If you are insured, each needs to be authorised. If you are paying for yourself, each needs to be settled. Nothing about this is unusual — it is how every private hospital in the country works — but knowing it in advance removes most of the confusion.
Once a date has been agreed, you will be given the procedure codes for your operation. Those codes are what your insurer needs. From there:
Contact your insurer with the codes you have been given and request authorisation. Do not assume that a policy which covers “surgery” in general covers this operation specifically.
All three, separately. Each is a distinct question for your insurer, and cover for one does not imply cover for the others.
Your insurer will issue an authorisation code. It needs to go to two places: to Jo Mitchelson on 020 7952 2882 or pa@lungsurgeon.co.uk, and to the hospital when they contact you. Without it, the hospital may not be able to proceed with your admission.
Insurers accepted: BUPA, BUPA International, AXA, AXA Health, Aviva, WPA and Cigna. Policies vary a great deal within each insurer, so please confirm your specific policy and plan with Jo before booking rather than relying on the insurer’s name alone.
Not always — and this is the most common avoidable problem we see. Many policies restrict cover to particular hospital bands, and some exclude central London hospitals altogether. London Bridge Hospital and The Lister Hospital Chelsea both sit in the higher bands with several insurers.
When you contact your insurer for authorisation, ask two questions rather than one: is the procedure covered, and is this hospital covered under my policy? A patient can hold a perfectly valid authorisation for an operation and still find the hospital falls outside their plan.
If your policy does not cover these hospitals, there are usually options — a different site, a shortfall arrangement, or self-funding the difference. All of them are easier to arrange before a date is set. Raise it early and Jo will help you work through it.
Ask, and we will get you one. A written quote is available to any patient on request — you do not need to have committed to anything, and you do not need to justify asking. Quotes usually come back the same working day.
The quote is agreed with you before your admission. Nothing about the hospital charge should be a surprise on the day you arrive.
The quote covers all three fees — hospital, surgeon and anaesthetist. They are still invoiced separately, by three separate organisations, but you will have the full picture in one written quote before you commit to anything.
Contact Jo Mitchelson on 020 7952 2882 or pa@lungsurgeon.co.uk and say which operation or investigation you have been advised to consider. If you are not yet sure, that is what the consultation is for.
The quote covers all three fees — hospital, surgeon and anaesthetist — for the operation and the expected length of stay in hospital. It is built around what is anticipated, not a minimum.
It can change in two situations, and it is better to know about both now than to meet them later:
When payment is due. The hospitals almost always require the full hospital fee to be settled before you are admitted. The surgeon’s and anaesthetist’s fees are invoiced separately; these can sometimes be settled afterwards, but are usually required beforehand. If the timing is difficult, say so early — it is a practical problem with practical solutions, and much easier to address before a date is set.
Dr Okiror’s NHS practice is at Guy’s and St Thomas’, and NHS care is free at the point of use. Nothing on this page applies to it.
Having a private consultation, or some of your treatment privately, does not affect your right to NHS care. You do not lose your place, you are not moved down a list, and you are not obliged to continue privately once you have started. This comes up often and the answer is the same every time: the two are separate, and choosing one does not close the other.
All documentation, imaging and test results are shared with your treating NHS team for any ongoing NHS care. Nothing is held back, and nothing has to be repeated because it was done privately. If you decide at any point to continue on the NHS, your records go with you.
Some patients have an initial consultation or a second opinion privately and then continue their treatment on the NHS. That is entirely reasonable, it is discussed openly, and nobody is expected to move to private treatment simply because they started there.
Practical questions about how private thoracic surgery is paid for, and what to check before a date is booked.
Request a Quote →Or call Jo Mitchelson:
020 7952 2882
Written quotes covering hospital, surgeon and anaesthetist fees are available to any patient on request, usually the same working day. Appointments at London Bridge Hospital and The Lister Hospital Chelsea are typically available within 2–3 working days. Self-referrals welcome.
Jo Mitchelson, PA · 020 7952 2882 · pa@lungsurgeon.co.uk
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