Private care

There are several private gender services which charge fees but which may have significantly shorter waiting lists than the NHS. You may wish to use these services while on the waiting list for an NHS service. It can overwhelming trying to choose which gender service to be referred to, but you can find useful tips on how to choose on our Choosing a Gender Service page.

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An important note

This list is for information and should not be considered an endorsement of any particular practitioner(s) or clinic. Similarly, absence from the list does not imply that we would not endorse a particular practitioner or clinic. We cannot check the quality or safety of services on this page, it is your responsibility to do so before choosing a private provider.

ServiceAccess
Harley Street Gender ClinicAll ages
Dignity Gender Assessment ServicesAll ages
Dr Lenihan18+
Gender Identity SW18+
GenderCare18+
GenderDoctors18+
GenderPlus with Kelly PsychologyAll ages
Northern Gender Network18+
The Gender Clinic18+
The Gender Hormone Clinic18+
YourGP17+
Details for UK based private gender clinics/services

All of the clinics on this list accept self-referrals.

Note that while some services will see patients younger than 18 for an assessment, not all will offer hormone therapy. You may wish to contact services to find out if they are willing to prescribe to under 18s before paying money to a service.

Other private services

Whilst they do not have clinicians who can prescribe hormones or refer you for surgery, Gender Health Care offer help, advice and support from registered health professionals with personal and professional experience of non-conforming gender identities. They provide services to people of all ages including offering specialist advice, administering injections, and taking blood samples.

Gender GP is based outside of the UK, but they provide services for trans patients internationally. This includes hormone prescribing and counselling.

Surgeons offering both private and NHS services

You can find a complete list of UK surgeons who can be accessed via the NHS on the NGICNS website. Many of these surgeons will see patients “privately” also – that is, where the patient pays for the surgery themselves, rather than it being paid for by the NHS.

Private-only surgery teams in the UK

A small number of UK surgeons offering gender surgeries will only take private patients. We are aware of the following surgery teams in the UK:

There are many other private surgery teams based outside of the UK. You might want to have surgery abroad for many reasons, such as access to techniques not available from UK surgeons, lower cost of surgery in other countries, or wanting surgery from a specific surgeon who does not operate in the UK. However, there are a number of potential disadvantages to surgery abroad that are also worth considering carefully. There is information to help you make these decisions on the UK Government website and on the NHS website.

Take a look at the Travelling abroad for surgery page for some more information on the experience of having surgery abroad.

Costs for private services vary significantly. Appointments with private clinicians tend to cost £250-500, and you are likely to be asked to attend:

  • at least one or two initial assessment appointments (or more if under 18)
  • an appointment with an endocrinologist to be prescribed hormones
  • periodic followup appointments with the endocrinologist

You may also need to pay prescription costs, costs for blood tests, and costs for injection supplies, depending on whether your GP agrees to a shared care agreement with the private clinic.

Appointment costs

Most private gender services list information about fees on their websites.

You can find a helpful summary of the costs of using private services that has been put together by community members in this Reddit thread.

Prescription costs

If you are using private gender services to obtain medications, the service will normally ask your GP to write you NHS prescriptions. Your GP may or may not agree to do this – it is up to them. Guidance on shared care that you may wish to give to your GP to help them make this decision has been produced by NHS England and NHS Wales.

If your GP agrees to prescribe on the NHS, the cost of your medication is the same as any other NHS prescription. You do not have to pay the full cost of medication you are prescribed on the NHS. You are not asked to pay anything at all in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In England, people are asked to pay a small charge for each item on their prescriptions. There are ways you can reduce or avoid this cost, which you can read about on the NHS website.

If your GP does not agree to prescribe on the NHS, the private service can write you private prescriptions, which you will have to pay the full cost of yourself. Typical prices for commonly used medications (as of February 2022) are:

  • testosterone gel: around £50 for a two month supply
  • testosterone injections: around £5-6 every 2-4 weeks for Sustanon, £100 for three months for Nebido
  • oestrogen gel: around £10 for a 2-8 weeks supply
  • oestrogen patches: around £10 for a 2-4 weeks supply
  • oestrogen pills: around £10 for a 1-4 weeks supply
  • GnRH agonists: around £250-300 for a 3 month supply

The private service may sometimes charge you an additional fee for writing the private prescription.

If you are taking a medication that is injected, you will also need injection supplies. You can find information about how to obtain these supplies cheaply and easily on genderkit.org.uk‘s self-injection page.

If your GP does not agree to perform blood testing for you, you will also need to arrange for this, which may cost you additional money. You can find out more about arranging blood testing on our hormones and blood testing page.

Fees will vary depending on the team and on your particular surgical requirements. Some private surgery providers will include their fees on their website, and others you’ll need to e-mail to ask. Always ask what is and isn’t included in the quoted fee, and what (if anything) you would need to pay extra for if you experience a complication.

When calculating the cost of private surgery, remember to factor in travel and accommodation costs (for pre-surgical and post surgical appointments as well as for your surgical date), any medication or supplies you will need to buy to aid your recovery.

There are other factors apart from costs that you may want to consider when choosing a private service. You can read more about things to consider on our Choosing a Gender Service page.

You can find useful tips for deciding which surgery team to use on the Umbrella Cymru website.

You can find more information about private hospitals in the UK by searching on the Private Healthcare Information Network website.

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Errors or omissions

Is there something missing from this page? Have you spotted something that isn’t correct? E-mail info@transactual.org.uk to let us know.

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This page is based on information originally posted on genderkit.org.uk with permission.

Visit genderkit.org.uk

A disclaimer: TransActual do not provide medical, health, or legal advice. The content of this page is intended for information purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from a medical professional. It is not a substitute for advice from a legal professional. We strongly suggest you consult a healthcare professional or legal professional for specific advice about your situation. TransActual do not advocate or recommend the purchase of any specific product and we do not endorse or guarantee the credentials or appropriateness of any health care provider, any product or any provider of legal services.

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