Private treatment in the UK for overseas visitors

Anyone from overseas can come to the UK for private treatment if they can afford to pay for it. But it's important to think about this carefully.

Cancer treatment is free to people who live in the United Kingdom. If you do not normally live here, you will have to pay for your treatment. This is the case even if you:

• are a British citizen
• have lived or worked here in the past
• have a HC2 certificate because you have a low income

There are some exceptions to this. And there are some emergency treatments that are free for all.

Also, do consider whether you need a visa to visit the UK. 

Should I choose private treatment in the UK?

There are some things you might want to think about.

• Are you sure there is treatment available in the UK that you cannot get at home?
• Are you looking for standard treatment for cancer?
• Or are you looking for experimental treatment (in early phase trials) because you have already tried the standard treatment?

For experimental treatment, you usually need to go to a cancer centre or hospital that is researching that particular type of cancer or treatment.

it is important to talk to the doctor treating you in your own country. Your doctor will know about research into treatments for your type of cancer. They might be able to recommend a doctor or hospital in the UK.

Finding a specialist

Cancer Research UK is not able to recommend cancer specialists.

You can find details of private UK specialists and hospitals on several websites. Some specialists are willing to give a private medical opinion without you needing to travel to the UK.

You can search the PHIN and goprivate directories for free. The general public must subscribe (pay) to access the specialistinfo directory.

Cost

It's impossible to say how much treatment in the UK will cost.

The first private consultation with a cancer specialist may cost around £250 to £350, but it could be more. You can ask them how much the tests and treatments you need might be. But the doctor will not be able to tell you the final cost, because your medical needs will change as you have treatment.

Cancer treatment such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted drugs can be very expensive treatments. The cost of cancer treatment can run into thousands of pounds. There might also be unexpected costs, such as the cost of treating infection during treatment.

You might also need to think about:

• the cost of somewhere to stay when you are not in hospital
• general living expenses.
• the cost of a relative or friend to stay with you

It can be extremely expensive as you may need to stay in the country for a few weeks or even months.

Funding from Cancer Research UK

Unfortunately, Cancer Research UK is not able to help with funding for the treatment of individual people.

We are a registered charity and work within the area of activity set out in our registration. Our charity role is to research the prevention and treatment of cancer. The law does not allow us to pay people's medical bills.

Joining clinical trials

In theory, it is possible to join a UK clinical trial from overseas. But again, you need to consider costs.

It is unlikely that private health insurance would pay for you to join a phase 1 or phase 2 trial. This is because these trials deal with treatments that are still experimental.

It may be possible that private health insurance would pay for a phase 3 trial. But this is also unlikely. Some treatments in phase 3 trials are not yet proven to be any better than the standard treatment available.