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Shoulder surgery in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
A painful or weak shoulder can make it hard to dress, reach a shelf or sleep on that side during a long wait.
Your shoulder operation 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. About one in eight of them had waited longer than a year.
National Treatment Purchase Fund, inpatient and day-case waiting list by specialty, September 2026
Your shoulder operation 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 shoulder operation.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You need a referral from your GP or from a consultant you saw as a public patient, or a letter showing you are on the public waiting list; it helps if it names the shoulder operation recommended for you.
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 shoulder operation 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 shoulder operation, 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. Whether you stay a night in hospital depends on your operation and your surgeon; the hospital's written plan says how long you will be away.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
If you stay overnight, you meet your surgeon in person before you are admitted, as the HSE requires; for a day case you can talk by video or phone before you travel, where the hospital offers it. 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. Physiotherapy usually goes on for weeks or months; your GP can refer you in the public system, so ask before you go.
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 shoulder operation costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your shoulder operation, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before the HSE pays you back.
The HSE
Pays you back up to what the same shoulder operation costs in the Irish public system, at the rate for the setting it would have had in Ireland, a day case or an overnight stay, in 45 days on average (2024).
The detail for a shoulder operation
For your shoulder operation, the HSE refunds the cost of the treatment up to the Irish public cost of the same operation, or the invoice if that is lower. The HSE pays at the rate for the setting your operation would have had in Ireland, as a day case or with an overnight stay, whatever your stay abroad; your proposal shows the expected refund. The refund reaches you after the treatment, in your own account, and travel, accommodation and a companion are yours to pay. The hospital commits to its price in writing before you accept; if none offers a price within the refund, we show you the gap in writing so you can decide.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a shoulder operation in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a shoulder operation involves
The two most common shoulder operations treat a tendon that is trapped or torn. In a subacromial decompression the surgeon makes more room under the bony arch at the top of the shoulder, by removing a little bone and inflamed tissue, so the tendon can move without catching. In a rotator cuff repair the surgeon stitches a torn tendon back onto the bone and holds it there with small anchors while it heals. Both are usually done by keyhole surgery, under a general anaesthetic, often with a nerve block that keeps the shoulder numb for the first hours.
You wear a sling for a time afterwards, longer after a repair than after a decompression, because the stitched tendon needs weeks to heal onto the bone. Physiotherapy then rebuilds the movement and the strength, and it goes on for months. The aim is a shoulder you can lift, reach and sleep on again.
Questions about a shoulder operation
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 pageWhich shoulder operations does this cover?
Mainly a subacromial decompression, which frees a trapped tendon, and a rotator cuff repair, which mends a torn one. A shoulder replacement may also be possible, as the HSE's rate list includes it; it usually means a longer stay, and not every hospital offers it. The kind of operation decides the stay and the price, so we ask the hospital about yours and give you its answer in writing.
Can I fly home with my arm in a sling?
Usually yes, a few days after the operation, once the surgeon says you are fit to fly. With one arm out of use you will need help with luggage for a while, so it is good to travel with someone. Your surgeon decides the timing for you.
What about physiotherapy afterwards?
After a shoulder operation, physiotherapy usually goes on for weeks or months. The hospital gives you a plan to follow when you are home. Your GP can refer you to physiotherapy in the Irish public system, so ask about it before you go, because there can be a wait.
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
One free call, by video or phone. No commitment and no documents.
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