Bupa Hip and Knee Replacement Cost: Self-Pay Prices and What Insurance Covers (2026)

Bupa does not publish one national price for a joint replacement. Its pay-as-you-go pages for knee and hip replacement have been taken down, and self-pay patients are now quoted by Bupa Cromwell Hospital in London, which Bupa owns. You do not need Bupa insurance to be treated there.

Prices from the hospital's own pages, checked 14 October 2026. "From" prices vary with the patient's needs; ask for a written quote.

The two knee packages are not the same thing at different prices. The fixed-price package includes pre-admission tests, a private en-suite room, the operation and the implant, the surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees, meals, nursing and medicines to take home, extra nights if you need them and a return to theatre if there are complications. The hospital package covers the hospital's part only: the surgeon and anaesthetist bill you on top, so the final figure depends on who operates.

Bupa Cromwell is a central London hospital, and its all-inclusive knee price sits at the top of the UK range.

For a hip replacement the UK self-pay average is around £14,500, which is where the Cromwell hospital package starts before consultant fees. Our UK knee replacement cost guide and hip replacement cost guide list the hospital groups one by one.

When you compare quotes, check three things: whether the surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees are in the price, whether the implant is included, and whether physiotherapy after discharge is included or charged per session.

For an insured member the question is not the price but whether the claim is accepted.

• Pre-existing conditions. Bupa health insurance does not usually cover conditions, symptoms or injuries you had before your cover started. If you had seen a GP about the joint before you joined, expect the claim to be refused, unless your policy covers your medical history (some company schemes do).
• Moratorium. On moratorium cover, an excluded condition can become eligible only after two continuous years without treatment, medication or advice for it. For a painful arthritic hip or knee that is rarely realistic.
• Excess. If you chose an excess, you pay it once per policy year. Bupa offers excesses of up to £2,000 on personal policies. Once paid, further treatment in the same policy year carries no excess. If your treatment runs across two policy years, you may pay it twice.
• Approved hospitals and specialists. Your policy lists which hospitals and consultants Bupa will pay for. Get pre-authorisation before you book anything.
• Treatment abroad. Bupa lists overseas treatment among its standard exclusions, so a UK policy usually cannot pay for surgery abroad.

The full picture, including how the two-year rule works and what to ask your insurer, is in our guide to whether private health insurance covers a hip or knee replacement.

If your claim is refused or you have no cover, there are four routes:

1. Wait for the NHS. Trauma and orthopaedics has the longest waiting list of any specialty: 843,419 open pathways at the end of August 2026, and only 61.1% within 18 weeks. Check your own hospital's waiting time.
2. Pay a UK hospital yourself, from about £13,000 to £21,000 for a knee. Most groups offer 0% finance over 10 to 24 months; see paying for private surgery.
3. Use your NHS right to choose a different provider in England, including some independent hospitals that treat NHS patients.
4. Have the operation in the EU. At OrthoVoyage's partner hospital in Poland a knee replacement is from €8,620 and a hip replacement from €6,940, with the implant, three days in hospital and up to seven physiotherapy sessions included. That is less than half the Cromwell all-inclusive knee price. See knee replacement in Poland and hip replacement in Poland.