Nuffield Health and the NHS

Nuffield Health has been offering free NHS care under the Patient Choice government initiative across England since 2006 and has successfully treated thousands of patients during this time.

Why choose Nuffield Health for your NHS treatment

Nuffield Health is the only major health and wellbeing provider to operate fitness and wellbeing centres, medical clinics, and hospitals, allowing us to provide a wide range of healthcare services.

All 37 of our hospitals were rated 'Good' or 'Outstanding' by national regulators in 2022.

As an NHS patient at Nuffield Health, you will benefit from:

• Exceptional standards of care, delivered by highly skilled professionals
• Short waiting times for initial consultation and treatment with the most appropriate consultant
• Continuity of care with the same consultant throughout your treatment
• Private en-suite bedroom
  
• Extended visiting hours for your family and friends during your stay
• A selection of menus suitable for all dietary requirements

How to get referred to a Nuffield Health hospital as an NHS England patient

Please note, this service is only available in England. For NHS patients in Wales and Scotland, please speak to your GP.

Step 1: Get a referral from your GP

If your GP believes that specialist treatment is necessary, they will refer you. NHS patients in England are entitled to choose where they receive their care for planned operations; this includes access to private hospitals and clinics for some procedures, without charge to the patient.

Your GP should offer you this choice on referral, but if they do not please speak to your GP.

Step 2: Book your appointment at a Nuffield Health Hospital

There are three ways you can book your appointment at one of our hospitals:

1. Your GP or practice staff will book your appointment at your preferred Nuffield Health hospital for you and give you a Unique Booking Reference Number (UBRN).
2. You can book your appointment yourself on the NHS e-Referral Service website.*
3. You can book your appointment yourself by calling the NHS e-Referral Service Line on 0345 608 8888 (Monday - Friday, 8am to 8pm, Weekends and Bank Holidays, 8am - 4pm).*
   
4. You can book your appointment by calling the Nuffield Health e-referral team on 0800 015 5020 (8am - 6pm, Monday to Friday)*.

*You will need to quote your Unique Booking Reference Number (UBRN). Your UBRN will be given to you by your GP on your appointment request letter.

NHS England patient's treatment costs are covered by the NHS. You will only need to pay for extra personal items, for example, your guests' food and beverages.

Step 3: Confirmation letter

Once your referral has been triaged and your appointment confirmed, you will receive a letter within two weeks.

Find your nearest Nuffield Health Hospital

Use our search tool below to find which of our hospitals offer NHS treatment. Please note, not all NHS treatments are offered at Nuffield Health.

To get referred to one of our hospitals, please follow the steps above.

Free health and wellbeing programmes

At Nuffield Health we provide free health and wellbeing initiatives to address unmet healthcare needs – from joint pain to long COVID – right here in your local community.

This programme aims to reduce pain, increase mobility, and improve mental health by encouraging sufferers to participate in regular exercise. Feedback has been exceptional, with 69% of participants in July 2022 achieving clinically significant improvements.

Developed in collaboration with the NHS and leading industry experts, this programme is a blend of physical and emotional support designed to help an ever-growing number of people who are finding it difficult to recover from the long-term effects of COVID-19.