Private Thoracic Surgery · London · No Waiting List
Private thoracic surgery in London — seen this week, not in four months.
With Mr Scarci, you are seen within days, not months. No GP referral needed. Scans arranged within 48 hours. A treatment plan — not a waiting list — from your very first appointment. All major insurers accepted; self-pay pricing available on request.
This isn’t just about money. It’s about whether you can afford not to wait.
When you search for private surgery costs, the question you’re actually asking is usually something like: “I’ve been given an NHS waiting time of months. My condition is affecting my life right now. If I go private, what am I looking at, and is it worth it?”
That is a completely reasonable question — and the answer deserves to be given without jargon, without pressure, and without making you feel that asking about cost is somehow inappropriate. Cost is a legitimate part of a legitimate decision.
The NHS is excellent and always remains available to you — going private doesn’t change that. But for many patients, the difference between a 3-month NHS wait and a 1-week private appointment is the difference between managing a condition and actually resolving it.
“Every patient deserves to know, before their first appointment, what they’re likely to face financially. I’ve always believed in transparent pricing — both because it’s respectful to patients and because hidden costs are the thing that most undermines trust in private healthcare.”
— Mr Marco Scarci, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon, FRCS(Eng) FCCP FACS FEBTS
Book a Specialist Consultation
Seen within days. No referral needed. Mr Scarci specialises in thymoma surgery and thymectomy for myasthenia gravis.
Call 020 8051 7930
Key facts about thymoma
Private thoracic surgery costs in London
These are all-in estimates covering surgeon fees, anaesthesia, hospital stay, theatre, and standard post-operative review. A detailed written breakdown is provided before any booking.
VATS for Pneumothorax
Collapsed lung repair · VATS bullectomy · Pleurodesis · Pleural biopsy
£8,000–£20,000
Total all-in cost · depends on procedure complexity
| Surgeon fees | £4,000–£8,000 |
| Hospital + anaesthesia | £4,000–£8,000 |
| Typical stay | 1–3 nights |
| Pleurodesis only | from £8,000 |
| VATS + pleurodesis | £13,000–£20,000 |
Lung Cancer Surgery
VATS lobectomy · Wedge resection · Segmentectomy · Mediastinal lymph node dissection
£20,000–£32,000
Total all-in cost · most common range for VATS lobectomy
| Surgeon fees | £12,000–£18,000 |
| Hospital + anaesthesia | £8,000–£14,000 |
| Typical stay | 2–5 nights |
| Wedge resection | from £20,000 |
| Lobectomy (VATS) | £24,000–£32,000 |
Complex Chest Wall Surgery
Rib plating (ORIF/SSRF) · Thymectomy · Pectus correction · Chest wall tumour · Empyema · Diaphragmatic plication
£14,000–£45,000+
Total all-in cost · highly variable by procedure
| Rib plating (SSRF) | £15,000–£25,000 |
| Thymectomy (VATS) | £18,000–£28,000 |
| Pectus repair (Nuss) | £20,000–£30,000 |
| Complex chest wall | £30,000–£45,000+ |
| Typical stay | 2–7 nights |
Initial consultation: £300–£400. Mr Scarci reviews all existing imaging in advance — you arrive at an appointment where the clinical picture is already understood. Most patients leave the first consultation with a clear diagnosis and a treatment plan.
What’s included in the price of Private thoracic surgery
The most common source of billing anxiety in private healthcare is not the headline price — it’s the unexpected charges that arrive afterwards. Here is a complete breakdown.
✓ Always included
- Initial specialist consultationMr Scarci reviews all existing scans in advance — no duplicate imaging
- Surgery by Mr Scarci personallyYou are operated on by the consultant you met, not a trainee
- Anaesthetist and theatre teamExperienced thoracic anaesthesia team at every procedure
- Private inpatient staySingle room, dedicated nursing care for the standard post-operative period
- Chest drain management and removalIncluded within the episode of care — no additional charges
- Routine post-operative imagingIn-hospital X-rays and standard blood tests during admission
- First post-operative outpatient reviewResults reviewed personally by Mr Scarci — not a letter or junior
- Direct access between appointmentsQuestions between visits answered by Mr Scarci directly
— Billed separately (when needed)
- Pre-operative CT or PET scanIf not already available — arranged promptly, cost advised in advance
- ICU admission (if clinically necessary)Rare in elective thoracic surgery — discussed pre-operatively if expected
- Extended hospital stay due to complicationsPre-authorised with insurer; managed transparently for self-pay patients
- Respiratory physiotherapy / pulmonary rehabArranged separately — typically £60–£120 per session
- Genetic / molecular tumour profilingFor lung cancer cases requiring biomarker testing — quoted per test
- Insurance excessYour insurer’s standard excess — payable directly by you under your policy terms
- Second and third post-operative reviewsOccasionally needed for complex cases — quoted transparently at initial consultation
Real patients, real costs
What recent patients actually paid
These are anonymised real cases from recent London procedures. All figures are total all-in costs including surgeon, hospital, anaesthesia, and post-operative review.
VATS surgery for recurrent pneumothorax (collapsed lung). Third episode — second within 6 months. Operated within 5 days of first appointment. 2-night stay, no complications. Back at work in 10 days.
Early-stage right lower lobe lung cancer — VATS lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node sampling. Confirmed diagnosis to surgery in 11 days. 3-night stay. 6-week recovery to full activity. Fully insured — zero out-of-pocket cost beyond excess.
Complex chest wall tumour requiring rib resection and Ovitex reconstruction. Multi-stage procedure with extended recovery. Seen within 4 days of first contact. Full written estimate provided before commitment.
Self-pay options — transparent, flexible, no surprises
Many patients choose to self-fund — either because they don’t have private insurance, or because they want to move faster than the pre-authorisation process allows. Self-pay patients receive exactly the same surgical care, the same surgeon, and the same outcomes.
Fixed-price packages
For the most common procedures, we offer all-inclusive fixed-price packages. One number, covering everything. No ambiguity about what “surgeon fees only” means or what happens if you stay an extra night. The price you see is the price you pay.
Written estimate before any commitment
Before you book surgery, you receive a complete written cost breakdown — surgeon, anaesthesia, hospital, imaging, everything that is expected. You review it, ask questions, and only then confirm. No one is ever surprised by an invoice they didn’t see coming.
Employer reimbursement support
Many employers offer healthcare budgets or will reimburse medical costs on request. We provide itemised invoices and clinical letters in whatever format your employer or accountant requires — making reimbursement straightforward.
What does private thoracic surgery actually get you?
When patients think about the cost of private surgery, they often frame it purely as a financial transaction. But the question that better captures the decision is: what does the cost of not acting look like?
For lung cancer, the relationship between time-to-surgery and survival is well-established. For recurrent pneumothorax, each additional collapse carries risk and requires A&E admission with its own disruption and cost. For conditions like slipping rib syndrome or TOS where NHS waiting lists stretch to 12–18 months, the impact on work, quality of life, and mental health over that period is rarely costed but very real.
This is not a sales pitch — the NHS is excellent and remains an entirely valid choice. But for patients who have the means to consider private care, the comparison should be made clearly and honestly.
| What you’re comparing | NHS pathway | Private with Mr Scarci |
|---|---|---|
| First appointment | 6–18 weeks typical outpatient wait | Within 1 week of contact |
| GP referral needed? | Yes — mandatory entry point | No — contact directly |
| Surgeon consistency | Varies — seen by different team members | Mr Scarci personally, throughout |
| Time to surgery (from referral) | 3–12+ months depending on condition | 3–5 days from confirmed plan |
| Hospital room | Shared ward | Private room, dedicated nursing |
| Biopsy results communicated | Letter sent; discussed at next clinic | Mr Scarci calls you within 24 hours |
| Between-appointment access | Via GP or triage nurse | Direct to Mr Scarci |
| Cost to patient | Free at point of use | Covered by insurance, or self-pay with finance |
“I spent three months on an NHS waiting list for a lung cancer consultation, watching a shadow on my scan that nobody could tell me anything about. My wife eventually said: just go private. The total cost was £24,000 — covered by our Bupa policy. From first phone call to surgery was eleven days. I genuinely believe we caught it at exactly the right time. That is not something you can put a price on.”
Everything you need to know about costs
- Will I get a complete written cost breakdown before I commit to anything?Yes — always. No patient proceeds to surgery without a complete written estimate covering every element: surgeon fees, anaesthesia, hospital charges, expected length of stay, and any anticipated additional tests. For insured patients, we confirm coverage and obtain pre-authorisation before any booking is made. For self-pay patients, the written estimate is provided at or immediately after the consultation, with time to consider it before making any financial commitment. There are no surprises.
- Do I need a GP referral to access private thoracic surgery?No. You can contact Mr Scarci’s practice directly without a GP referral. If you have existing scans, blood tests, or hospital letters — from an NHS or private consultation — please bring them. They will almost always be usable, avoiding duplication. If your insurer requires a GP referral for reimbursement purposes, your GP can provide one, but this doesn’t need to delay your booking with us.
- How quickly could I have surgery after my first appointment?For most elective procedures, the pathway from confirmed surgical plan to operating date is 3–5 days — dependent on pre-operative imaging availability and hospital theatre scheduling. For urgent cases (significant lung cancer finding, rapidly recurring pneumothorax), same-week surgery is possible. The limiting factor is almost never the surgeon’s availability — it is pre-operative investigations and insurance pre-authorisation. We manage both proactively so they don’t cause unnecessary delay.
- What if my insurance has a pre-existing conditions exclusion?This is the most important thing to verify before your consultation — and we do this for you. If your policy excludes a specific pre-existing condition, we will identify this before you spend anything on consultations or investigations. Many apparent exclusions do not apply once the clinical details are reviewed — insurers sometimes grant coverage for conditions they initially appear to exclude. We advocate on your behalf through this process.
- Can I combine private surgery with NHS follow-up care?Yes — and this is an entirely normal, well-understood arrangement. You may choose to have surgery privately and then continue with NHS follow-up, oncology, or rehabilitation. Going private does not affect your NHS entitlement in any way. Mr Scarci’s team will write a full surgical summary letter to your NHS GP and relevant NHS specialists, ensuring seamless handover.
- Is 0% finance really available for surgery? What does it cover?Yes — interest-free monthly payment plans are available for most self-pay surgical procedures through our finance partner. Typically you would pay 10–20% upfront and spread the remaining balance over 12 months at 0% interest. Approval takes 24–48 hours in most cases. The finance covers the all-in surgical cost including surgeon, hospital, and anaesthesia. There is no obligation to use finance — it is simply available for patients who prefer to spread the cost.
- Will going private upset my NHS consultant or affect my NHS care?No — and this concern, while completely understandable, is almost never warranted. NHS consultants are entirely accustomed to patients pursuing private options and are not “upset” by it. Your NHS entitlement is completely unaffected. Mr Scarci provides a full clinical summary to any NHS team who needs it.
The cost is less than you might think. The cost of waiting may be higher.
A consultation costs £300–£400. It gives you a clear diagnosis, a treatment plan, a written cost estimate, and the confidence to make an informed decision. No obligation to proceed. No pressure. Just clarity.
