Hernia surgery at Spire Wellesley Hospital

We provide comprehensive private hospital care for our patients across Essex and the South East.

We have a team of expert consultants who have wide experience in performing hernia repair surgery. With a consultant of your choice, you can expect fast access to diagnostic tests and scans, consultations and treatment.

Getting here

Spire Wellesley Hospital is a couple of miles from Southend town centre, just off the A127. We're a short taxi ride from the train station, which has a fast and regular connection to London Liverpool Street. We have free on-site parking for you and your visitors.

Your consultation

You’ll meet your chosen consultant in one of our 16 private consultation rooms. They’ll discuss:

• Your symptoms and medical history
• How inguinal hernia surgery works
• The specific procedure they recommend for your needs
• The type of anaesthetic you’ll require – either a general anaesthetic (where you’ll be asleep) or a local or spinal anaesthetic (where you’ll be awake but unable to feel anything in the area being operated on)
• The potential benefits and risks of the procedure

Your consultant may need you to have additional tests or scans before they can recommend the next steps. Sometimes, particularly if you need a general anaesthetic, you may need to have a pre-operative assessment to check your fitness and overall health before the procedure.

Your visit

Usually, you can leave hospital on the same day as your surgery. You may need to stay overnight if you have other medical conditions or live alone. If so, you’ll have one of our 37 en-suite private rooms, which will have:

• TV
• En-suite bathroom
• Armchair
• Safe

If you’re able to go home on the same day, you can relax in a private room until you’re ready to leave – usually for around four to six hours after surgery.

The operation

During the operation, you’ll have either:

• A general anaesthetic, meaning you’ll be asleep – usually required for keyhole (laparoscopic) procedures
• A spinal or local anaesthetic, meaning you’ll be awake but unable to feel anything in the region being operated on – this is usually used for open hernia repair surgery

Hernia repair surgery normally takes less than one hour.

Pain management

After your operation, you’ll probably feel some pain or discomfort – this is normal after surgery. Our nursing team will give you painkillers to help you with this.

Your recovery

Your consultant will provide you with your expected recovery timeline. You should be back to most activities within six weeks of your operation, though it may be sooner depending on the type of hernia repair you had. You’ll return for a check-up appointment with your consultant around two weeks after your operation. As a guide, here’s a typical recovery timeline for hernia repair: