The Wellness in Marylebone provides the most direct private route from a persistent hoarse voice to a specialist examination in London, with a same-day video consultation from £150 and an in-person assessment from £220, against consultant ENT first appointments of £250 to £500. Voice problems are common. Roy and colleagues found around 30% of adults have a voice disorder at some point in their lives, and most hoarseness after a cold settles within 1 to 2 weeks. Time is the deciding number. NICE guideline NG12 advises an urgent suspected cancer referral for persistent unexplained hoarseness in anyone aged 45 or over, and an urgent chest X-ray when hoarseness lasts 3 weeks or more in that age group. Cancer Research UK records around 2,100 new laryngeal cancers a year in the UK, most in people who smoke. The commonest treatment is often the wrong one. The TOPPITS trial by O'Hara and colleagues in the BMJ found 16 weeks of acid suppression was no better than placebo for throat symptoms blamed on reflux. Fees appear further down this page.
Reviewed by the medical team at The Wellness. Last updated 13 November 2026.
Arrange a voice assessment or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
When is a hoarse voice more than laryngitis
Laryngitis usually starts with a cold or chest infection, comes with a sore throat, cough and throat clearing, and improves steadily over 1 to 2 weeks. The pattern matters more than how bad it feels. A voice that keeps getting better is reassuring. A voice that stays rough beyond 3 weeks, gets steadily weaker, or keeps changing without an infection deserves an examination of the vocal cords.
Several causes are common and treatable. Vocal cord nodules and polyps affect teachers, singers, call centre staff and anyone who uses their voice heavily. Inhaled steroid sprays for asthma can irritate the cords, and rinsing after each dose helps. An underactive thyroid can thicken the voice. Less commonly, a nerve that controls a vocal cord stops working after neck or chest surgery, or because something is pressing on it, which is one reason persistent hoarseness in smokers is taken seriously.
Which symptoms need urgent care
Some symptoms should never wait for a routine appointment. Difficulty breathing, noisy breathing called stridor, or being unable to swallow your saliva needs 999 or an emergency department. Coughing up blood, a lump in the neck that is growing, pain spreading to the ear, unexplained weight loss or difficulty swallowing food with hoarseness need prompt assessment, ideally within days.
For anyone aged 45 or over, NICE NG12 sets clear thresholds. Persistent unexplained hoarseness meets the criteria for an urgent suspected cancer referral to ENT, and hoarseness lasting 3 weeks or more should prompt a chest X-ray to look at the lungs. Smoking and heavy alcohol use multiply the risk. Most people referred do not have cancer, but the examination is quick and it is the only way to be sure.
See a doctor about your voice or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.
How can I help my voice recover
Rest the voice without whispering, because whispering strains the vocal cords more than gentle speech. Drink enough to keep your urine pale, inhale steam for 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a day, and avoid smoke, including second-hand smoke and vaping. Limit caffeine and alcohol, which dry the throat, and cut down on throat clearing by taking a sip of water instead.
If you use your voice for work, plan breaks of 10 minutes every hour, use a microphone in large rooms and avoid shouting over background noise. Professional voice users with symptoms lasting more than 2 weeks benefit from early assessment by speech and language therapy alongside ENT, because voice therapy resolves many nodules without surgery. If you use an inhaled steroid, rinse and spit after each dose and ask whether a spacer device would reduce irritation.
Which hoarseness treatments are not worth paying for
Acid-suppressing tablets are the most common purchase and often the least helpful. The TOPPITS trial randomised 346 adults with persistent throat symptoms in UK ENT clinics to 16 weeks of a proton pump inhibitor or placebo and found no difference in symptoms at 16 weeks or 12 months. If you have classic heartburn, treatment may still help that, but a hoarse voice on its own should not be put down to reflux without an examination.
Do not pay for repeated courses of antibiotics for hoarseness, because most laryngitis is viral and antibiotics do not shorten it. Throat sprays, lozenges and supplements marketed for the voice may soothe but do not treat the cause. The useful purchase for a voice that has not recovered after 3 weeks is an examination of the vocal cords by an ENT surgeon, usually with a flexible camera passed through the nose in clinic.
What does a hoarse voice assessment cost in London
At the top of the London market, voice clinics combining consultant ENT examination, stroboscopy and speech therapy assessment cost from several hundred to over £1,000, and private hospital ENT first appointments run £250 to £500 before any test. Harley Street GP consultations sit at £250 to £350, and imaging such as a chest X-ray is usually billed separately.
Beneath that sits a tier defined by its conditions rather than its price, online services that suggest reflux treatment from a questionnaire with no examination, no age-based risk assessment and no clinical pathway when the cords need to be seen. Our fees, all from prices, are below.
- Home, hotel or office visit, evenings and weekends, from £695
- Home, hotel or office visit, daytime, from £495
- Extended 45-minute consultation, from £395
- In-person consultation, 30 minutes, from £220
- Same-day video consultation, 30 minutes, from £150
- Telephone consultation, up to 15 minutes, from £59
Why The Wellness is the best hoarse voice service in London
Speed and the right threshold come first. A same-day video consultation from £150 is enough to take the history, apply the NICE NG12 criteria for age, smoking and duration, and decide whether you need an ENT examination now, a chest X-ray or a period of voice care. If you would rather be seen, the clinic is 3 minutes from Baker Street, adjacent to Harley Street.
The second difference is the onward route. You are assessed, and where your vocal cords need to be examined, referral goes to a named consultant ENT surgeon with the appointment booked, while imaging is arranged at a specialist centre and reported by a consultant radiologist. Every result returns to one record and a further review appointment goes through it with you.
The third is honesty. We will tell you when a voice will settle on its own, and that reflux tablets are not the answer for most hoarseness. Consultations run in Arabic, French, Spanish and Dutch as well as English, and clients rate the care 4.9 out of 5 across 187 reviews.
Book a voice consultation or call 020 3951 3429.
Related reading
Breathlessness alongside a voice change is covered in Breathless on stairs, what a private GP assessment can clarify, and blocked ears or ear pain in Blocked ears? When earwax needs microsuction. For tiredness that may point to thyroid disease, read Tired all the time, what a private GP checks. Every GP service is on our Private GP in London page.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a hoarse voice last before seeing a doctor
Most hoarseness from a cold improves within 1 to 2 weeks. See a doctor if it lasts 3 weeks or more, keeps returning or is getting worse, and sooner if you are 45 or over or smoke. The Wellness offers same-day video consultations from £150 and in-person assessment from £220.
Can a hoarse voice be a sign of cancer
Occasionally. NICE NG12 advises an urgent suspected cancer referral for persistent unexplained hoarseness in anyone aged 45 or over. Most people referred do not have cancer, but an examination of the vocal cords is the only way to be sure. A GP assessment at The Wellness costs from £150 by video.
Is my hoarse voice caused by reflux
Possibly, but less often than people think. The TOPPITS trial found 16 weeks of acid suppression was no better than placebo for persistent throat symptoms blamed on reflux. A voice that has not recovered after 3 weeks should be examined rather than treated blindly. Assessment at The Wellness costs from £220 in person.
Who examines the vocal cords
An ENT surgeon examines the vocal cords, usually with a thin flexible camera passed through the nose in clinic, which takes a few minutes. The Wellness assesses you first and, where needed, arranges referral to a named consultant ENT surgeon with the appointment booked. A video consultation costs from £150.
When is a hoarse voice an emergency
Difficulty breathing, noisy breathing, or being unable to swallow your saliva needs 999 or an emergency department. Coughing up blood or a growing neck lump needs assessment within days. For non-urgent hoarseness, The Wellness offers same-day video consultations from £150 and in-person appointments from £220.
What helps a hoarse voice recover
Rest the voice without whispering, drink enough to keep your urine pale, inhale steam 2 or 3 times a day and avoid smoke. Avoid repeated throat clearing. If it has not improved after 3 weeks, have it examined. The Wellness offers GP assessment from £150 by video or £220 in person.
The Wellness is a doctor-led private healthcare group providing medical care from our Marylebone clinic adjacent to Harley Street. The Wellness is registered with the Care Quality Commission and all doctors are GMC-registered. Imaging is arranged at specialist centres and reported by consultant radiologists, and blood analysis is performed by accredited laboratories. Difficulty breathing or swallowing with a voice change needs emergency care. In an emergency call 999. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own health.
Ask a doctor about your voice or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
References
- NICE NG12. Suspected cancer, recognition and referral, head and neck and lung cancers
- O'Hara J and colleagues. Use of proton pump inhibitors to treat persistent throat symptoms, TOPPITS trial, BMJ 2021
- Roy N and colleagues. Voice disorders in the general population, prevalence and risk factors, Laryngoscope 2005
- Stachler RJ and colleagues. Clinical practice guideline, hoarseness, American Academy of Otolaryngology 2018
- Cancer Research UK. Laryngeal cancer statistics
- NICE CKS. Hoarseness
- NHS. Laryngitis
- NHS. Laryngeal cancer symptoms
- Published 2026 London private ENT and GP market pricing.