Waiting for a new hip or knee?
On a waiting list for a hip or knee replacement? Here is the China option
In June 2026, only 60.9% of people on England’s trauma and orthopaedics waiting list had waited under 18 weeks, and in Australia the median public wait for a knee replacement was 255 days in 2024–25. At two Chinese public tertiary hospitals, the whole hospital bill for a hip or knee averaged about CNY 26,365–26,530 (≈ USD 3,950) for local patients in 2022. Plan for the recovery too: UK hospitals advise about 12 weeks before a long-haul flight.
England: trauma and orthopaedics waiting list, share waited under 18 weeks (NHS England, Jun 2026; standard 92%)
60.9%
Australia: median public wait for a total knee replacement (AIHW, 2024–25)
255 days
Canada: knee replacements done within the 26-week benchmark (CIHI, 2024)
61%
Canada: median wait from GP referral to orthopaedic treatment (Fraser Institute survey, 2025)
48.6 weeks
Hip and knee replacement waits (sources: NHS England, CIHI, AIHW official statistics and Fraser Institute physician survey, 2024–26). Each measure is different, so they cannot be ranked against each other
| Where | Measure | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| England | Trauma and orthopaedics waiting list, share waited under 18 weeks (Jun 2026) | 60.9% (standard 92%) |
| Canada, hip | Share done within the 26-week benchmark (2024) | 68% |
| Canada, knee | Share done within the 26-week benchmark (2024) | 61% |
| Canada, orthopaedics | Median wait from GP referral to treatment (physician survey, 2025) | 48.6 weeks |
| Australia, hip | Median public wait from listing to surgery (2024–25) | 130 days |
| Australia, knee | Median public wait from listing to surgery (2024–25) | 255 days |
| China | No published waiting-time statistic | Surgery date confirmed by the hospital before you book |
Going private at home
Skipping the list at home costs five figures, where it is allowed
In the UK, private guide prices are about GBP 14,071 for a hip and GBP 13,315–15,720 for a knee in Leeds (PHIN, 2025). Canadian private clinics charge about CAD 20,000–28,000 per joint, and Alberta residents cannot have private surgery for an insured service in their own province (CBC, 2023). In Australia, hospital charges alone for a hip are AUD 24,092–29,208 before doctors’ fees.
The China route
A surgery date confirmed before you book flights
There is no published waiting-time statistic for joint replacement in Chinese hospitals, so we do not quote one. You send your X-rays and history, a surgeon reviews them, and we ask the hospital for an individual quote and a confirmed surgery date before you book anything. At two tertiary hospitals the whole bill averaged about CNY 26,365–26,530 (≈ USD 3,950) for local patients in 2022; foreign patients pay the full price.
The part you cannot skip
Recovery time before a long-haul flight
Skipping the waiting list does not shorten recovery. UK hospitals advise about 12 weeks before a long-haul flight after a hip or knee replacement, and surgeons’ advice in one UK survey ranged from 35 to 180 days, with a median of 90. That means a long stay in China or a flight date agreed with your surgeon in advance, with blood-clot prevention and a fit-to-fly letter.
We handle the China part
An English-speaking coordinator from airport to aftercare
We book the hospital, meet you at the airport, arrange a hotel near the hospital, put an interpreter beside you at every appointment, help with WeChat and Alipay payment, translate your reports into English and stay in touch for follow-up after you fly home.
Common questions
How long is the wait for a hip replacement?
It depends on where you live, and each country measures it differently. In Australia the median public wait for a total hip replacement was 130 days in 2024–25 (AIHW). In Canada, 68% of hip replacements were done within the 26-week benchmark in 2024 (CIHI). In England, 60.9% of people on the trauma and orthopaedics waiting list had waited under 18 weeks in June 2026, against a 92% standard; a hip-only figure is not given in the headline statistics.
How long is the wait for a knee replacement?
Knee waits are longer than hip waits in both Australia and Canada. The median public wait in Australia was 255 days in 2024–25 (AIHW), and in Canada 61% of knee replacements were done within 26 weeks in 2024 (CIHI). The Fraser Institute’s 2025 survey of physicians put the median wait from GP referral to orthopaedic treatment in Canada at 48.6 weeks.
How long is the NHS wait for a knee replacement?
NHS England’s headline statistics do not give a knee-only figure. Trauma and orthopaedics, which includes hip and knee replacement, had 829,590 waiting pathways in June 2026, and 60.9% had waited under 18 weeks, so about 39% had waited longer. Across all specialties the median wait was 11.9 weeks and 8% of patients had waited more than 38.3 weeks.
Read more
- Hip and Knee Replacement Wait Times: NHS, Canada, Australia
How long people wait for hip and knee replacement on the NHS, in Canada and in Australia, what the figures mean, and the options if you cannot wait any longer.
Complete package
Make the stay count: replacement + health checkup + TCM
A joint replacement means weeks in China, not days. The same stay can include a full health checkup before surgery and TCM consultations while you recover, at public-hospital prices. We plan and quote all three together.
- Your hip or knee replacement, quoted from your X-rays
- Health checkup from CNY 1,320 (≈ USD 200)
- TCM consultation from CNY 50 (≈ USD 7)
USD amounts converted at about CNY 6.70 per USD (2026-10-07), for reference only. Foreign patients pay the full listed price.