Why more Londoners are looking abroad for routine healthcare without leaving the city

Photo: Acıbadem London office at 68 Great Portland st, London, W1W 7NG, UK

For a growing number of Londoners, the idea of travelling overseas for medical treatment is no longer reserved for major surgeries or last-resort procedures. A quieter shift has been taking shape over the past few years, and it has less to do with dissatisfaction and more to do with access. People want options. And increasingly, those options are arriving in London itself.

The numbers tell part of the story. According to the International Healthcare Research Center, the UK’s outbound medical travel market grew by around 14 per cent between 2022 and 2025. But what’s often missed in those figures is the profile of the people driving it. These aren’t patients fleeing the system. They’re professionals in their thirties and forties who are time-poor, health-conscious, and used to getting things done on their terms. A second opinion on a knee issue. Dental work they’ve been putting off. A screening they want done this month rather than in four.

What’s changed is how they access it. Where the process once involved booking flights and navigating unfamiliar hospitals in Istanbul, Barcelona or Budapest, several international providers have started establishing consultation offices in central London. The model is relatively simple: an initial assessment takes place in the UK, often with a specialist who works across both locations. If treatment is needed, the patient flies out with a clear plan already in place. Scans reviewed, costs agreed, logistics sorted.

Acıbadem Healthcare Group is one of the more prominent names operating this way. The Turkish hospital network which runs over 20 facilities, opened a London Office that functions as a kind of front door. Patients can walk in, meet with coordinators, have preliminary consultations, and understand their options before deciding whether to travel. There is no obligation to proceed, and the NHS referral pathway remains available throughout. In practical terms, it takes some of the guesswork out of a process that can otherwise feel daunting.

Photo: Acıbadem London Office offers free consultations.

The appeal, for many, is not about cost alone though that’s part of it. Procedures like dental implants, IVF, or orthopaedic surgery can cost a fraction of private UK prices in accredited hospitals abroad. What seems to matter equally is the experience itself: shorter waiting times, consolidated appointments, and a level of coordination that can be harder to find when arranging things independently. Having a London-based point of contact makes the whole thing feel less like a leap of faith.

It’s worth noting that this model sits alongside, not against, the NHS. GPs are increasingly aware that patients are exploring international options and, in many cases, are supportive; particularly when waiting lists for non-urgent procedures stretch into months. The conversation has shifted from “why would you go abroad?” to “make sure you go somewhere accredited.”

Not everyone is convinced, of course. Critics point to the risks of follow-up care falling between two systems, or the difficulty of seeking recourse if something goes wrong overseas. These are fair concerns. But the providers setting up in London seem to be aware of them, offering post-treatment follow-ups through their UK offices, maintaining digital records that patients can share with their GPs, and in some cases partnering with London-based clinicians for continuity.

For Londoners who are curious but cautious, the barrier to entry has dropped considerably. A consultation at a place like Acıbadem’s London Office doesn’t require a passport or a plane ticket. It requires a lunch break.

Whether this trend continues to grow will likely depend on how well these providers deliver on their promises and how comfortable UK patients become with a model that blurs the line between local and international care. For now, at least, it appears to be a line that’s getting thinner.

Acıbadem London Office is located in central London (68 Great Portland St, London W1W 7NG) and offers consultations across a range of specialties. For more information, visit healthpoint.acibadem.com