Schedule a free call
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Hip replacement in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
A worn hip can make every step, every staircase and every night's sleep harder while you wait on a public list.
A new hip 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 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 hip replacement 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 hip replacement.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You need a referral for a hip replacement from your GP or from a consultant you saw as a public patient, or a letter showing you are on the public waiting list for it.
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 hip replacement 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 hip replacement, 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 to be away for your nights in hospital and a few more days nearby; the hospital's written plan says how many.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
You meet your surgeon in person before you are admitted (for a hip replacement the HSE does not accept a video call), 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. Your GP can refer you for physiotherapy in the public system; ask before you travel, as there can be 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 hip replacement costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your hip replacement, 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 hip replacement costs in the Irish public system, at the inpatient rate, in 45 days on average (2024).
The detail for a hip replacement
For a hip replacement, the HSE pays back the cost of your treatment up to what the same operation costs in the Irish public system, or the hospital's invoice if that is lower. In Ireland a hip replacement means several nights in hospital, so the HSE pays it at the inpatient rate. The money comes to you after the operation, into your own bank account, and it does not cover flights, your hotel or a companion. The hospital fixes its price in writing before you accept; if no hospital offers a price the refund covers, we show you the gap in writing and the choice is yours.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a hip replacement in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
No commitment and no documents needed.
- Write to us: Send us a message →
- Want an answer now? Use the chat.
What a hip replacement involves
A hip replacement is for a hip joint worn down by arthritis, when pain and stiffness no longer respond to tablets, exercise or a walking stick. Under a general or a spinal anaesthetic, the surgeon takes out the worn ball at the top of the thigh bone and the damaged lining of the socket, and fits an artificial ball and socket in their place. The operation itself usually takes an hour or two.
You are helped up and walking with support soon after the operation, and physiotherapy starts in hospital and carries on at home. The aim is a hip that no longer hurts, with easier walking, stairs and sleep; most people feel the difference within weeks, and recovery continues for months. An artificial hip lasts many years.
Questions about a hip replacement
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 pageHow long will I be in Spain for a hip replacement?
That depends on the hospital's plan for you, which you see in the written proposal before you accept: the nights in hospital, then a few days near the hospital until the surgeon says you can fly. The surgeon makes that decision for you alone.
What about rehabilitation at home?
You bring home the hospital's discharge report and its exercise plan for your new hip. From then on your GP looks after you and can refer you for physiotherapy in the Irish public system in the usual way. Speak to your GP about it before you travel, because public physiotherapy can involve a wait.
Can I have both hips done?
That is for the surgeon to decide, together with you. If both hips are affected, tell us at the start, and we ask the hospital whether it would operate on one side or both and what each option would cost. You get its answer, with the expected refund, in writing before you decide anything.
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 meet the surgeon in person before you are admitted. 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
One free call, by video or phone. No commitment and no documents.
by video or phone, at a time you pick
Already spoken with us? Start your case →