Private healthcare options in Brighton
Private healthcare in Brighton is served by Nuffield Health Brighton Hospital in Woodingdean and The Montefiore Hospital in Hove, part of the Spire group. Between them they offer outpatient consulting, diagnostic imaging, day-case and inpatient surgery across specialties including orthopaedics, general surgery, gynaecology, urology, dermatology and ophthalmology. Many consultants hold NHS posts at the city's teaching hospitals and see private patients locally.
Most patients begin with a GP referral, then attend a consultation funded through private medical insurance or self-pay. Fixed-price self-pay packages are widely available for common procedures, giving a clear cost before treatment. Diagnostic scans can usually be booked within days, and with two hospitals on opposite sides of the city, Brighton and Hove patients have genuine choice over consultant and location, with London's hospitals also reachable by train for rarer specialties.
Private hospitals serving Brighton
Nuffield Health Brighton Hospital
Brighton · Nuffield Health
A private hospital at Woodingdean on the edge of Brighton, run by not-for-profit Nuffield Health, offering planned surgery in core specialties such as orthopaedics, general surgery, gynaecology and urology.
View hospital →The Montefiore Hospital
Hove (Brighton) · Spire Healthcare
A boutique private hospital in Hove, part of Spire Healthcare, offering planned surgery, cancer care and outpatient services in a smaller, more personal setting than many private hospitals.
View hospital →The NHS picture locally
NHS care in the city is provided by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, whose sites include the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. Like the rest of England, routine waits are significant: the national median wait is around 12.4 weeks, and many routine surgical pathways take six to twelve months from referral to operation.
See our full NHS waiting times guide for the national picture and your rights as a patient.
Private GPs in Brighton
Private GP appointments in Brighton and Hove are usually available same-day or next-day from independent practices across the city and clinics linked to the local private hospitals. A standard 15 to 30 minute consultation typically costs £70 to £150, with referrals, private prescriptions and blood tests arranged quickly where needed.
How private GP appointments work →
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a GP referral to see a private consultant in Brighton?
In most cases, yes. Nuffield Health Brighton, The Montefiore Hospital and most insurers require a GP referral before a first consultant appointment. Your NHS GP can refer you, or a private GP in Brighton or Hove can usually see you the same day. Physiotherapy and some screening services accept direct booking.
Which private hospitals serve Brighton and Hove?
The two main options are Nuffield Health Brighton Hospital in Woodingdean, east of the city, and The Montefiore Hospital in central Hove. Both provide outpatient clinics, imaging and surgery across most common specialties, treat insured and self-pay patients, and are staffed largely by consultants who also work in the local NHS trust.
Should Brighton patients consider travelling to London for private treatment?
For most common conditions there is no need, as Brighton's private hospitals cover the mainstream specialties well. However, for rare conditions or highly specialised surgery, London's larger private hospitals are about an hour away by train, and most insurance policies cover treatment there, though some central London hospitals attract higher premiums.
Other locations
- Aberdeen
- Belfast
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Cambridge
- Cardiff
- Coventry
- Edinburgh
- Exeter
- Glasgow
- Hull
- Leeds
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Milton Keynes
- Newcastle
- Norwich
- Nottingham
- Oxford
- Plymouth
- Portsmouth
- Reading
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Swansea
- York