UK Healthcare For Expats: What Are The Best Hospitals In The UK?

If you’re thinking of moving to the UK, you’re in for a treat. The UK, especially cities like London, is a top destination for expats, attracting students, professionals, and entrepreneurs from around the globe.

As with any move to a new country, one of your first considerations must be healthcare. If you’re planning to live and work in the UK, you’re likely wondering about your access to the National Health Service (NHS), which hospitals are best for expats, and whether you’ll need private health insurance.

In this guide, we’ll help identify the best public, private and children’s hospitals in the UK, to help you get the best possible healthcare for you and your family.

Accessing UK hospitals as an expat

The UK healthcare system may differ significantly from what you’re used to in your home country. In the UK, healthcare is primarily public and funded through a system called National Insurance (which acts like a tax, paid by individuals and employers to the state).

Medical services are provided by a state-owned entity called the National Health Service (NHS). Three of the home nations also have their own versions of the NHS:

• Wales: NHS Wales or GIG Cymru
• Scotland: NHS Scotland
• Northern Ireland: Health & Social Care (HSC)

Many expats and British citizens also choose to supplement NHS care with private health insurance, which offers access to private hospitals, shorter waiting times, and additional services not always included in NHS cover.

To help you make an informed decision about your healthcare, let’s take a look at the different types of hospital in the UK, and how NHS healthcare compares to private healthcare for expats.

What types of hospitals are in the UK?

The UK has a variety of hospitals within its healthcare system, each serving different functions. Here’s an overview of the main types of hospitals you’ll find in the UK:

General NHS hospitals

This is the most common type of NHS hospital and provides a broad range of services, including emergency care (A&E), ambulatory care, outpatient services, surgery and diagnostic testing. General hospitals serve the healthcare needs of a large population in a specific area. There are 930 NHS hospitals across the UK.

Specialist hospitals

Some NHS hospitals focus on specific areas of care, such as cancer treatment, mental health, paediatrics, cardiology, or orthopaedics. Examples include Great Ormond Street Hospital (children’s hospital) and The Royal Marsden (cancer care).

Private hospitals

Private hospitals in the UK provide services outside the NHS and are funded by private insurance or out-of-pocket contributions from patients. They offer a range of services, from general medical treatments to specialised surgeries, often with shorter waiting times and access to private rooms. Some private hospitals are contracted to the NHS, meaning they serve a mix of public and private patients, especially in areas where NHS services are overwhelmed by public demand.

Urgent care centres

Also known as minor injury units, urgent care centres serve as walk-in centres for non-life-threatening conditions. They’re useful for treating minor injuries and help to reduce the pressure on hospital A&E departments.

Community hospitals

Smaller than general hospitals, community hospitals provide non-emergency care and are generally found within residential areas. They focus on services like rehabilitation, palliative care, outpatient treatments and some day surgeries, reducing the need for patients to travel to a general hospital.

Can I use the NHS as an expat in the UK?

In order to gain access to the NHS system, you must establish legal and permanent residency – officially known in the UK as settlement or indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

You might need to pay a healthcare surcharge (called the ‘immigration health surcharge’ or IHS) as part of your immigration application. Whether you need to pay depends on the immigration status you’re applying for.

Who needs to pay a healthcare surcharge?

You usually need to pay the healthcare surcharge if you’re applying for a visa or immigration application:

• for more than 6 months, if you’re applying outside the UK
• for any length of time, if you’re applying inside the UK

You do not need to pay if you’re applying for a visitor visa or to remain in the UK permanently.

You still need to pay even if you have private medical insurance.

Are private hospitals better than the NHS?

Whether a private hospital is “better” than the NHS depends on what factors are most important to you.

The standard of medical care itself does not differ drastically between private and NHS hospitals. Many NHS consultants also work privately, so patients should receive the same level of care and expertise in either setting. However, private healthcare does offer some advantages in terms of access and convenience.

The main advantages of private healthcare is the range of treatment options available (not all treatment options are considered cost-effective for the NHS) and reduced waiting times. Demand for NHS services is huge and there can be long waiting times for non-urgent care. In some areas there can even be long waits for urgent care. As of September 2023, the waiting list for hospital treatment reached a record 7.7 million patients, with the 18-week treatment target unmet since 2016.

An increasing number of UK residents are turning to private healthcare due to challenges with NHS services.

• A record 272,000 individuals self-funded operations or diagnostic procedures in private hospitals, a significant rise from 199,000 in 2019
• 44% of those choosing or considering private healthcare cited long NHS wait times as their primary motivation
• Nearly half of people in their twenties and thirties are willing to pay for private care—driven largely by frustration with NHS delays

What doesn’t the NHS cover?

On the other hand, here are the medical services that you will have to pay for (either directly or through private health insurance):

• Dental care – Costs will depend on what treatment you need.
• Eye tests – Roughly £25/US$32 per test, although free for children and over-60s.
• Physiotherapy – Around £50/US$64 per appointment. You can get this free via the NHS with a GP referral, but waiting lists are particularly long.
• Tests/scans – Can cost hundreds of pounds. Scans are only available via the NHS with a GP referral.
• Chiropractic – Up to £80/US$103 per appointment. Again, this is free via the NHS, but it’s limited and the waiting lists are long.
• Prescription medicines – These are also not free under the NHS in England, currently costing £9.90/US$13* per item. Certain people can get them for free, including under-16s, over-60s, pregnant women, new mothers (up to 12 months after giving birth), and those suffering from a specific disability. Prescription medicines are free for citizens in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

*Cost correct as of January 2025

How much does health insurance cost in the UK?

How much you’ll pay for health insurance as an expat isn’t a number you can guess. It’s affected by many factors, including your age, medical history and the countries you wish to travel to.

Here are a few examples of the premiums that our members pay for their health insurance policy when moving to the UK*.

*2025 premiums for individuals/families health insurance policies with international cover.

What are the best NHS hospitals in the UK?

There are a total of 8,721 NHS-run hospitals, trusts, community centres and GP practices in the UK, seeing about 1.3 million people every day.

Of these, we’ve highlighted the hospitals with the highest CQC Rating (an official quality assessment score by the Care Quality Commission) and patient satisfaction scores to find the best NHS hospitals in the UK for 2024:

Source: The Daily Telegraph, March 2024

What are the best private hospitals in the UK?

As of 2023, there were 213 private hospitals across the UK which saw nearly 900,000 admissions. Private healthcare in the UK has become increasingly popular over recent years, with admissions rising 7% between 2019 and 2023.

Based on overall CQC Rating and patient satisfaction score, these are the top 10 private hospitals in the UK:

Source: The Daily Telegraph, March 2024

What are the best children’s hospitals in the UK?

There are currently 27 specialist children’s hospitals and clinics in the UK. These include the well-known Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, located in London, and the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital which offers the largest number of children’s beds (371) in the UK.

Unsurprisingly however, the best ranked children’s hospitals in the UK are all private. As such, based on overall CQC Rating and patient satisfaction score, these UK hospitals are currently rated best for families and young people:

Source: The Daily Telegraph, March 2024

Wherever you go, go with total peace of mind

At William Russell, we have over 30 years’ experience of helping expatriates move abroad and settle into their new lives overseas by providing world-class international health insurance.

Our plans cover a broad range of health conditions, ranging from cancer treatment to mental health care. We are backed by a network of over 40,000 hospitals and medical treatment centres worldwide, so we can always help you find the best quality healthcare when you need it, and all our policies include medical evacuation cover as standard.

Speak to us today to find out if we can help you find the best international health insurance at the right price too.