Hospitals in and around Edinburgh
NHS hospital care in Edinburgh is provided by NHS Lothian, at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and the Western General. The main private hospitals are Spire Murrayfield Hospital Edinburgh and Spire Shawfair Park Hospital.
Hospital names and ownership change. Check the current list on the Private Healthcare Information Network before relying on it.
Which system applies in Edinburgh
Care here is run by NHS Scotland through regional health boards. Waiting times are published by Public Health Scotland at each stage of treatment, and the measures are not the same as the ones used in England, so the two sets of figures should not be compared directly.
You can find the published waiting information for a hospital in Edinburgh and the east of Scotland through Public Health Scotland waiting times. [2] Our waiting times tool takes you there for the specialty you need.
What is different about Edinburgh
The two largest private hospitals belong to one group, so check that group is on your list.
Choosing where you are treated
In England you have a legal right to choose which hospital you are referred to for most planned care, including many independent providers working for the NHS. [3] The devolved nations run choice differently, and in practice the choice often comes down to how far you are willing to travel. [4]
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The hospital list on your policy | Insurers sell the same policy with different hospital lists; a cheaper list often excludes the nearest private hospital |
| The consultant’s fee status | A consultant who is not fee-assured with your insurer can leave you with a shortfall |
| Travel and follow-up | Follow-up appointments and physiotherapy mean repeat journeys, not one |
| Inspection rating | Regulators publish inspection reports for private hospitals as well as NHS ones |
| Who treats a complication | Private hospitals differ in what they can handle on site and when they transfer to the NHS |
Health insurance in this area
Insurers price partly on where you live, because local treatment costs and claim patterns differ. Cover bought for Edinburgh and the east of Scotland behaves the same as anywhere else in the UK — what changes is the hospital list you are offered and, sometimes, the premium. Our guide to what affects the price explains how postcode fits alongside age, excess and cover level.
Private hospital and consultant information is published by the Private Healthcare Information Network, and the Care Quality Commission and its equivalents publish inspection reports. [5] [6]
Questions worth asking locally
Sources and methodology
- [1] Public Health Scotland. “NHS waiting times — stage of treatment”. View source(opens in a new tab)Primary source
- [2] NHS inform. “NHS inform — Scotland’s health information service”. View source(opens in a new tab)Primary source
- [3] NHS. “Your choices in the NHS”. View source(opens in a new tab)Primary source
- [4] Private Healthcare Information Network. “Private hospital and consultant performance and fee information”. View source(opens in a new tab)Primary source
- [5] Care Quality Commission. “Find and compare care services”. View source(opens in a new tab)Primary source
- [6] Competition and Markets Authority. “Private healthcare market investigation”. View source(opens in a new tab)Primary source
We cite primary sources wherever possible. Read about our sourcing methodology.
Guides that explain this in full
Emma Leadbetter
Editor and Copywriter, PremierPMI
- 15 years health, finance and consumer journalism
- PhD candidate, University of Chichester
Emma has written across health, finance and consumer-affairs journalism for more than 15 years, and has been part of the PremierPMI team since 2022. She is known for making complex topics easy to understand, and fact-checks every guide against current insurer wording before it goes live. She is completing a PhD at the University of Chichester researching how the NHS has changed since COVID-19.
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Dior Teshayev
Health Insurance Editor, PremierPMI
- Health insurance editor
- Insurer product and literature research
Dior works alongside senior advisers to research and refine content about private medical insurance, producing articles, guides and updates that reflect the latest market and product changes. He tracks market trends, reviews insurer literature and prepares plain-English summaries for the advisory team.
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