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Carpal tunnel release in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
Carpal tunnel syndrome squeezes a nerve at the wrist, and while you wait, numbness and tingling in your fingers can wake you at night and weaken your grip.
Your carpal tunnel release without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in Spain, paid back by the HSE. The hospital, the surgeon, the price and your stay are in writing before you decide.
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Your right under EU law since 2011
2,266claims paid back to Irish patients in 2024
Your rights under the schemeAt the end of September 2026, 14,988 adults were waiting for orthopaedic surgery, including day-case hand operations, in a public hospital in Ireland. More than one in three of them had waited longer than six months.
National Treatment Purchase Fund, inpatient and day-case waiting list by specialty, September 2026
Your carpal tunnel release in Spain, step by step.
Eight steps from the first conversation to your refund. You commit at step 4, not before.
Before you commit
Stop at any time, at no cost
Talk to us
You
Schedule a free call, by video or phone, at a time you pick. We answer your questions and tell you how the route works for a carpal tunnel release.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You need a referral from your GP or from the orthopaedic consultant you saw as a public patient, or a letter showing you are on the public waiting list for a carpal tunnel release.
We determine your eligibility
Ablement · within 1 to 2 working days
You get a clear yes or no on whether you are eligible for a carpal tunnel release in Spain.
We find a private hospital
Ablement · within 5 working days of a complete file
We ask the hospitals and send you one written proposal: the hospital, the surgeon, the price of your carpal tunnel release, the dates and your expected refund.
After you commit
We stay with you to the refund
Your date is confirmed
The hospital
The hospital confirms your date in writing within 10 working days of your acceptance, and then you book your travel. Plan for a short trip: the day of the operation and a few days nearby until the surgeon says you can fly; the hospital's written plan gives the timing.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
As a carpal tunnel release is a day case, you can talk to your surgeon by video or phone before you travel, where the hospital offers it, or meet in person at the hospital. Then you have your operation and fly home when the surgeon says you are fit to fly. You pay the hospital directly and send us the documents for your claim.
We claim your refund
Ablement · within 5 working days of your return
We send your signed claim to the HSE and follow it until you are paid. The HSE paid in 45 days on average in 2024.
Your aftercare at home
Your GP
Your GP and the public system take over, as if you had the operation at home. If you need physiotherapy for the hand, your GP refers you in the public system, which may involve a wait.
One contact person, from the first conversation to the refund.
Easy to reach at every step. A family member can join every call.
What a carpal tunnel release costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your carpal tunnel release, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before the HSE pays you back.
The HSE
Pays you back up to what a carpal tunnel release costs in the Irish public system, at the day-case rate, in 45 days on average (2024).
The detail for a carpal tunnel release
The HSE pays back the cost up to what a carpal tunnel release costs in an Irish public hospital. Because you leave the hospital the same day, the day-case rate applies: the HSE's rate list prices carpal tunnel release as a day case, the form that is standard in Ireland. The HSE pays by the setting the operation would have in Ireland, and an outpatient visit is paid only up to a small daily maximum, so we ask the hospital to admit you as a day case and to invoice it that way. The refund is paid to you after the operation, into your own account, and does not include travel, a hotel or a companion. The price is fixed in writing before you say yes; if no hospital can offer a price within the refund, we tell you the shortfall in writing and the decision is yours.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a carpal tunnel release in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a carpal tunnel release involves
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a nerve squeezed as it passes through a narrow tunnel at the wrist, which causes numbness, tingling and weakness in the hand. In a carpal tunnel release the surgeon cuts the tight band that forms the roof of the tunnel, so the nerve has room again. It is done under a local anaesthetic, through a small cut in the palm or by keyhole, and takes about twenty minutes.
The hand is bandaged, and you use your fingers straight away but avoid heavy gripping for some weeks. The tingling and the broken nights often improve within days; numbness and strength come back more slowly, over months, and more completely the less the nerve had suffered before the operation. The scar in the palm can be tender for a while.
Questions about a carpal tunnel release
Short answers to what people ask us most. Open a question to read the answer.
All frequently asked questionsYour question isn't here?
Ask us in the chat Or send us a message from the Contact pageWhen can I use my hand, drive or go back to work?
That depends on your work and on how your hand heals, so the surgeon gives you instructions before you leave, and they are written in your discharge report. Once you are home, your GP takes over and can advise you on driving and returning to work. If you need physiotherapy for the hand, your GP refers you in the public system, which may involve a wait.
When can I fly home?
When the surgeon says you are fit to fly; the hospital's written plan gives the usual timing. With one hand bandaged, lifting a suitcase or managing a bag at the airport is awkward, so bring someone or arrange help at the airport.
Is it worth travelling for a small operation?
That is your decision. The operation is short, but the wait at home can be long. The HSE pays back the treatment, not your flights or hotel, so weigh those costs against the wait. We give you the figures for your own case before you decide, and you can say no.
Will I lose my place on the Irish waiting list?
No. The HSE's rules do not ask you to leave the list to use the scheme, and you stay on it until you have been treated. Once your operation is done abroad, you let the Irish hospital know, so it can take you off the list. If you change your mind before then, nothing has changed at home.
Do I have to pay up front?
Yes. You pay the hospital directly, and the HSE pays you back afterwards, in 45 days on average in 2024. Some people use savings, help from their family or a credit union loan. We do not lend money or arrange loans, and no money of yours passes through us.
Is it safe, and what if something goes wrong?
You see the hospital and the surgeon's name in writing before you decide anything, and you have a consultation with the surgeon before the operation. Every hospital we work with must be registered with its country's health authorities, use surgeons who specialise in the operation, give its price and its terms on complications in writing, and give you an English-speaking contact person. The hospital that treats you is responsible for your care, and it must have a complaints procedure. We help you deal with the hospital, and at home your GP takes over as after any operation.
Why is your help free? What's the catch?
There is no catch. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee; you never pay us anything, and the hospital's price is fixed in writing before you accept. You can stop at any time before you sign with the hospital.
Will the HSE really pay me back?
The Cross Border Directive is EU law, and the HSE paid 2,266 claims from Irish patients in 2024 alone. The refund is yours when the paperwork is right: the referral, the consultation, the itemised invoice and your receipt. We prepare the claim with you, and before you travel you can send the HSE a prior notification, which tells you in advance whether you are eligible and gives an indication of the amount.
Can a family member come with me, or join the calls?
Yes. A family member can join every call and meeting, be named on your Consent Form and travel with you. Their travel and hotel are your own cost.
Find out if this route can work for you
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