What is chronic sinusitis?
Chronic sinusitis means the air-filled spaces around the nose and eyes stay inflamed for at least twelve weeks, causing congestion, facial pressure, post-nasal drip and a dulled sense of smell. It affects roughly one in ten UK adults at some point and is more likely in people with allergies, asthma, nasal polyps or a deviated septum. Unlike a passing cold, the inflammation becomes self-sustaining, and repeated antibiotic courses often bring only temporary relief.
A GP will usually try steroid nasal sprays and saline rinses first. If symptoms persist, an ENT specialist examines the nose with a thin endoscope and may arrange a CT scan of the sinuses — the key test for confirming the diagnosis, spotting polyps and planning surgery if medical treatment fails.
Common symptoms
- Blocked or congested nose lasting months
- Facial pain or pressure around the cheeks, eyes or forehead
- Thick nasal discharge or post-nasal drip
- Reduced or lost sense of smell
- Headaches that worsen on bending forward
- Persistent tiredness and poor sleep
- Bad breath or an unpleasant taste
How long will you wait?
ENT is among the worst-affected NHS specialties, with only around 55% of patients treated within 18 weeks, and the full journey from GP referral to sinus surgery commonly stretches to seven months or more.
Privately, you can typically see an ENT consultant within 3–7 days, with a CT scan arranged quickly and sinus surgery, if needed, usually scheduled within 2–4 weeks.
NHS England median referral-to-treatment wait: 12.4 weeks, with 2.5 million people waiting over 18 weeks (May 2026). Individual waits vary by trust and urgency.
Treatment options
- Intranasal steroid sprays or drops. Daily steroid treatment reduces sinus lining inflammation and is the first-line therapy.
- Saline nasal irrigation. Regular high-volume salt-water rinsing clears mucus and improves spray effectiveness.
- Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Keyhole surgery through the nostrils that opens blocked sinus drainage pathways when medical treatment fails.
- Balloon sinuplasty. A less invasive option in selected cases, using a small balloon to widen sinus openings.
- Biologic injections. For severe disease with polyps, targeted drugs such as dupilumab can shrink polyps and restore smell.
What does private treatment cost?
As a guide, private endoscopic sinus surgery typically costs £3,500–£6,000 depending on the extent of surgery, with an initial consultation around £200–£300 and a sinus CT scan £300–£500.
Does health insurance cover chronic sinusitis?
Private medical insurance usually covers ENT consultations, CT scanning and sinus surgery for chronic sinusitis that develops after your policy begins — it is one of the more commonly claimed-for ENT conditions. Long-standing sinus trouble that predates the policy will typically be excluded as pre-existing, at least initially. Ongoing maintenance treatment such as repeat sprays and rinses falls outside cover as routine or chronic care.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know my sinusitis is chronic rather than repeated colds?
The defining feature is duration: chronic sinusitis means congestion, facial pressure, discharge or reduced smell persisting for twelve weeks or more without fully clearing, whereas colds and acute sinusitis resolve within two to three weeks. If your 'cold' never really goes away, or you notice a lasting loss of smell, it is worth asking your GP about a steroid spray trial and, if that fails, an ENT referral.
Does sinus surgery actually work?
For well-selected patients who have genuinely exhausted medical treatment, endoscopic sinus surgery has good results: most people report substantial improvement in blockage, facial pressure and quality of life. It is not a guaranteed cure — the underlying tendency to inflammation remains, and continuing steroid sprays and rinses after surgery is important to keep the sinuses open. Recovery is usually one to two weeks.
Why are ENT waits so long on the NHS?
ENT carries one of the largest backlogs of any specialty, with only around 55% of patients treated within the 18-week standard, against a national waiting list of 7.28 million cases. Sinus surgery is often classed as lower clinical priority than cancer or emergency work, so routine operations get postponed. This is a major reason chronic sinusitis is one of the most common conditions people choose to have treated privately.