Ankle replacement cost in the UK (2026)
Private, NHS and abroad
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Few UK private hospitals publish a price for an ankle replacement. The two we found, checked on 31 Oct 2026, start from £8,546 at KIMS Hospital in Kent and from £13,000 at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital in London [1] [2]. The London price covers the hospital's charges only, with the surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees on top. On the NHS it costs nothing, but in August 2026 the median wait for trauma and orthopaedic treatment in England was about 14 weeks (13.8) [9].
Written by Saher Shodhan. Every price on this page was checked against the provider's own page on 31 Oct 2026, unless a row says otherwise. Sources are numbered at the end.
Ankle Replacement Cost in the UK: the Short Answer
| Route | What you pay | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| UK private, self-pay | from £8,546 in Kent; from £13,000 in London | The only two UK hospital prices we found. The £13,000 price leaves out the surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees, consultations and tests. Nuffield Health and Spire Healthcare ask you to contact the hospital for a price. |
| NHS | No charge | 843,419 people were waiting for trauma and orthopaedic treatment in England in August 2026, and 61.1% had waited under 18 weeks. |
| Abroad | Too few price lists to quote | Too few clinics abroad publish an ankle replacement price for us to give a fair range. |
UK: providers' own pages, checked 31 Oct 2026 [1] to [4]. NHS: NHS England, August 2026 figures, published 8 Oct 2026 [8]. Abroad: Thera clinic price index, checked 6 Oct 2026 [12].
Comparing options for your own treatment? Ask us, free →
UK self-pay prices we found
| Provider | Hospital | Price | What the price covers | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KIMS Hospital | Maidstone, Kent | from £8,546 | A guide price. The page does not say what it includes, so ask for a written breakdown. | 31 Oct 2026 |
| St John & St Elizabeth Hospital | London | from £13,000 | The hospital's charges "from admission to discharge". It excludes consultation fees, diagnostic tests and the fees of your surgeon, anaesthetist and any other specialist. | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Nuffield Health | All hospitals | No price published | Nuffield asks you to contact your local hospital and gives a fixed price after your first consultation. | 31 Oct 2026 |
| Spire Healthcare | Spire Hartswood and Spire Manchester | No price published | Spire Hartswood says it "can't display a fee for this procedure just now". Spire Manchester's page shows no price. | 31 Oct 2026 |
Providers' own pages, checked 31 Oct 2026 [1] to [4]. These are "from" and guide prices. Ask each hospital for a written quote after your consultation.
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Why Ankle Replacement Prices Vary
The National Joint Registry says "there are far fewer ankle replacements than hip or knee replacements because ankle arthritis is less common" [7]. With fewer operations, fewer hospitals publish a price, and the two published prices cover different things:
- Hospital charges or the whole bill: St John & St Elizabeth's £13,000 is for the hospital's charges only. The surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees, consultations and tests are extra [2].
- What the operation involves: the National Joint Registry says "additional surgical procedures may be required at the same time as the replacement" [7]. Ask whether the quote covers them.
- The implant: the Registry says there are "two main types of ankle replacement" [7]. Ask which implant the price includes.
Prices for other ankle operations
Some UK hospitals that do not list an ankle replacement do publish prices for other ankle operations. Practice Plus Group lists ankle fusion surgery at £6,649 and ankle arthroscopy at £5,149, with a £145 first consultation on top [5]. The Horder Centre lists an ankle fusion from £8,325, with a £220 first consultation [6]. These are different operations, so these prices are not ankle replacement prices. Our guides to ankle fusion costs in Poland and NHS ankle fusion waiting times cover that operation.
What's Included in the Price?
Ask each hospital, in writing, whether these are in the price:
- The surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees
- The first consultation, and any scans and tests after it
- The implant
- Your hospital stay and any extra nights
- Physiotherapy and check-ups after you go home
- Treatment if something goes wrong
Can You Get Ankle Replacement Surgery for Free on the NHS?
Yes. NHS treatment is free, but you may wait. The National Joint Registry says "joint replacements are nearly always carried out because of pain that cannot be controlled by other methods such as painkillers, physiotherapy or other surgery" [7].
In August 2026, 843,419 people were waiting for trauma and orthopaedic treatment in England, and 61.1% had waited under 18 weeks [8]. The median wait for this specialty was about 14 weeks (13.8) [9]. These are the latest published figures, for August 2026. They cover all trauma and orthopaedic treatment, not ankle replacements alone. NHS England publishes the September 2026 figures on 12 Nov 2026.
The NHS says that "in many cases you have the legal right to choose where you have your NHS treatment", and you can ask to be moved "to a different provider if you're likely to wait longer than the maximum waiting time" [10]. My Planned Care has information for people waiting for treatment [11].
Ankle Replacement Abroad: Prices and Checks
Too few clinics abroad publish an ankle replacement price for us to quote a fair range (Thera clinic price index, checked 6 Oct 2026) [12]. If a clinic abroad quotes you, ask it to name the implant and the surgeon in writing, and to list what the price leaves out. Flights, a hotel and follow-up care come on top.
Our guides to ankle replacement in Poland, ankle replacement abroad, step by step and the countries UK patients choose for foot and ankle surgery go further.
When this may not be right for you
The National Joint Registry says "ankle replacements have not yet achieved quite as good long-term results as hip or knee replacements" [7], so long-term check-ups matter. If your NHS wait is short, NHS treatment costs nothing, and you can ask to move hospital if you are likely to wait longer than the maximum time [10]. A UK private hospital keeps your surgeon and follow-up close to home. Abroad, you travel back after the operation, and any follow-up in the UK needs planning before you go.
Before you pay a deposit
Three checks to make yourself before any money changes hands:
- Find the hospital on its country's official register of healthcare providers, under the company name on the quote.
- Get your surgeon's name in writing, look them up where the country has a public register of doctors, and ask how many ankle replacements they do a year.
- Ask what happens, and who pays, if you need help with the new ankle after you are back in the UK.
Our 15 questions to ask a hospital abroad give you the wording.
Clinics we hold, by country
Each has a free summary page: the register entry we found, the Google listings and any published prices. Thera is free for patients. No clinic can pay to change the prices we publish.
Frequently asked questions
How much does ankle replacement surgery cost in the UK?
The two UK hospital prices we found, checked on 31 Oct 2026, start from £8,546 at KIMS Hospital in Kent and from £13,000 at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital in London. The London price leaves out the surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees. On the NHS it is free.
How much does ankle surgery cost?
It depends on the operation. Practice Plus Group lists ankle arthroscopy at £5,149 and ankle fusion at £6,649, and an ankle replacement starts from £8,546 at KIMS Hospital, all checked on 31 Oct 2026.
Sources
- KIMS Hospital, ankle replacement surgery: guide price from £8,546. Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- St John & St Elizabeth Hospital, ankle replacement: from £13,000, hospital charges only, and what it excludes. Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- Nuffield Health, ankle replacement surgery (no price on the page; contact your local hospital). Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- Spire Healthcare, Spire Hartswood, ankle replacement and Spire Manchester, ankle replacement (no price displayed). Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- Practice Plus Group, private patient prices: ankle fusion surgery £6,649, ankle arthroscopy £5,149, initial consultation £145; no ankle replacement price listed. Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- Horder Healthcare, self-pay treatment prices: ankle fusion from £8,325, initial consultation £220, guide prices effective from 1 Jan 2026. Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- National Joint Registry, Ankle replacement. Read 31 Oct 2026.
- NHS England, referral to treatment waiting times, August 2026, statistical press notice, table 1, Trauma and Orthopaedic Service (excludes trusts that did not send data). Published 8 Oct 2026.
- NHS England, incomplete pathways by commissioner, August 2026, national sheet, Trauma and Orthopaedics median wait 13.8 weeks (an estimate from grouped data). Published 8 Oct 2026.
- NHS, Your choices in the NHS. Read 31 Oct 2026.
- NHS, My Planned Care. Read 31 Oct 2026.
- Thera Travel, clinic price index: clinics' own published price lists. Too few ankle replacement prices to give a range. Checked 6 Oct 2026.
Related: bunion surgery cost in the UK, knee replacement cost in the UK, hip replacement cost in the UK, orthopaedic clinics we hold.
This guide is general information, not medical advice.
Clinics UK patients look at
The four with the most Google reviews among the orthopaedic clinics we hold. Each has a free page with its records.
Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, ChennaiChennai, India
KIMS-Sunshine Hospitals, BegumpetHyderabad (Begumpet), India
Yashoda Hospitals, SomajigudaHyderabad (Somajiguda, Raj Bhavan Road), India
Yashoda Hospitals, MalakpetHyderabad (Malakpet, Nalgonda X Roads), India
Written by Saher Shodhan
Saher Shodhan is the founder of Thera Travel, which publishes what the official records show about clinics abroad, each fact with the date it was checked, and answers patients' enquiries, free. More about Thera → How we write and check our guides →
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