Scotland
Should you wait for the NHS, or pay to go private?
Pick your specialty and your health board. We’ll show you the current NHS waiting time where you live next to what private treatment typically costs in Scotland — so you can weigh it up with real numbers instead of guesswork.
Across Scotland now
Trauma & Orthopaedics
Ophthalmology
General Surgery
The middle board of the 11–13 with a large enough sample, for patients already treated (May 2026). Your own board may be well above or below this — that’s what the comparison is for.
What you’re looking at
Where the NHS numbers come from
Waiting times are taken from waiting list statistics published openly by Public Health Scotland, broken down by health board and specialty. We show the median wait — the point half of patients are seen before — and the 90th percentile, which is closer to a realistic worst case.
Where the private prices come from
Self-pay prices are collected by hand from the published price lists of private hospitals operating in Scotland. We show a range across providers, and we name which ones the range is based on and the date we last checked each one.
How often it’s updated
NHS figures are refreshed as each new quarterly release is published by Public Health Scotland — currently showing May 2026. Private prices are re-checked roughly every quarter, and every panel carries its own date so you can see exactly how current it is.
Scotland only, for now
We currently cover all 14 territorial NHS Scotland health boards and 3 specialties: Trauma & Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology and General Surgery. England, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their waiting times differently and aren’t covered yet.
What we don’t do
- We don’t take referral fees or commission from private hospitals, and we don’t sell your details. Nothing here is ranked or promoted because someone paid for it.
- We don’t tell you which to choose. There’s no recommended option and no “best value” badge — the two panels are shown as equals.
- We can’t tell you your personal wait. Urgency, triage and your consultant’s list all change it. A median is a starting point for a conversation with your GP, not a prediction.
Ready to look at your board?
Choose from 14 health boards and 3 specialties.
Compare waits and prices