What we can and cannot do
We are not a clinic and not the NHS. We do not scan, diagnose, refer or book a confirmed slot. We cannot tell you whether you need an MRI. If you have new weakness, numbness in the saddle area, loss of bladder or bowel control, sudden severe headache, chest pain or any symptom that frightens you, call 999 or NHS 111, or see your GP, today.
What we can do: explain the price, the referral rule and the centre types in plain English, and, if you ask, pass your request to one independent scanning centre that covers your area so it can contact you. That is free for you. The centre may pay us a fee.
Four steps to a private MRI
- Body area. Name the one area to be scanned: the body area. Two areas usually cost more than one.
- Referral rule. Check whether the centre takes self-referral or wants a letter from a GP, physio or consultant. See self-referral and GP letter.
- Centre type. Dedicated scanning centre, hospital group, or open MRI. Compare the from-price, the referral rule and the report time.
- Ask one centre to contact you. Use the form. One partner centre may call or email you. Nothing is booked until you agree a time and price with them.
Why are the city pages marked "held"?
A city page is only useful if we can do what it says: pass your request to a partner centre that covers that city. We build each city page first, with the prices and centres we can verify in that area, and keep it out of search engines until a partner centre covers that body area and postcode. When one does, we switch that page on. A tick in the table above shows a page that is live.
You can still read every held page. They show the centres whose prices and locations we checked for that city, the referral rules, and what to ask. If you use the form on a held page and no partner covers your postcode, the next page says so honestly and nobody will call you.
Which body areas have city pages?
The eight body areas people ask about most: knee, lumbar spine (lower back), cervical spine (neck), shoulder, hip, brain, prostate and ankle. Every other body area has a full England page, linked from the home page.
How should I choose a centre in a city?
Price matters, but four other things often matter more.
- The referral rule. Can you refer yourself, or do you need a letter? See self-referral.
- Travel. A cheaper centre on the far side of a city may cost you more in time, parking or a day off work. Many dedicated centres sit on retail or business parks, or in mobile units at hospital sites, rather than in city centres.
- The scanner. Ask about field strength, wide-bore or open MRI if you are anxious, and whether you can go in feet first for a knee or ankle.
- The report. How long, who receives it, and who will explain it. See report times.
Do prices differ between cities?
Dedicated centre groups often charge the same national price wherever you go. Vista Health's single-area price on 5 October 2026 was the same at all its locations. Hospital groups set prices per hospital, so they vary. Nuffield Health's one-part guide prices on 5 October 2026 ranged from £400 at its Manchester Diagnostic Suite to £620 at its Cambridge hospital, and were £538 for two parts in Manchester. London specialist clinics were higher.
Do NHS waits differ between cities?
Yes. NHS England's diagnostics waiting times data for July 2026 (DM01, published 10 September 2026) show that 21.4% of people waiting for an MRI had already waited six weeks or more. That is the England figure. Each NHS trust reports its own figures, and they vary widely; NHS England's monthly diagnostics data page publishes them by provider. If you are already on an NHS list, ask your hospital how long the wait is likely to be before deciding to pay.
Why only these fifteen cities?
They are the fifteen cities we started with, each a large English city or regional centre with several scanning options: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, Leicester, Southampton, Brighton, Cambridge, Oxford and Reading. If you live elsewhere in England, use the form on any body-area page. It asks for your town or postcode, and we will tell you honestly whether a partner centre covers it.
Why England only?
Referral rules, NHS waiting data and regulators differ across the UK nations. We have not yet checked the rules in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so we do not publish pages for them.
Why are some city pages not in search results?
We keep a city page out of search engines until a partner centre covers that body area and postcode. You can still read every page here.
Are private MRI prices the same in every city?
Dedicated centre groups often charge one national price. Hospital groups price per hospital, so their prices vary by city.
What if my town is not listed?
Use the form on any body-area page with your town or postcode. We will tell you whether a partner centre covers it.
Want one centre to call you? Request a private MRI. Free for you; the centre may pay us.