Can You Get an Iron Infusion on the NHS, or Only Privately?

Yes, the NHS gives iron infusions, but usually only after iron tablets have been tried and have not worked or have not been tolerated, or when your iron needs correcting quickly^{1, 3}. Your doctor decides whether you need one, and the hospital team that runs the infusions then contacts you to organise it^{3, 5}. If you would rather not go through a referral, you can book a private iron infusion at our Mayfair clinic directly, after a review of your blood results.

Which route is right depends on your blood results, what has caused the low iron, and whether you are pregnant. Both are covered below, with when each one makes sense.

When the NHS offers an iron infusion

In the NHS, iron tablets come first. The NHS says that once the cause of iron deficiency anaemia has been found, tablets are recommended to replace the missing iron, and you will need to take them for about 6 months². The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guideline agrees that the common iron tablets "remain the standard therapies"¹. It also says the oral route is generally preferred "on the grounds of cost and convenience with comparable efficacy"¹.

An infusion comes into the picture in a few situations. The BSG recommends that intravenous iron "should be considered when oral iron is contraindicated, ineffective or not tolerated", and at an early stage if tablets are judged unlikely to work or the anaemia needs correcting urgently¹. A hospital leaflet from St George's University Hospitals puts it in plain terms: tablets sometimes do not improve things enough, may not be tolerated or absorbed, or your doctor may need to replenish your iron quickly³.

Tablets are judged by how your haemoglobin responds. The BSG says that if haemoglobin has not risen by at least 10 g/L after 2 weeks of daily tablets, a sustained response later is unlikely, and intravenous iron is more effective than carrying on with tablets¹.

Some people may be offered an infusion from the outset. The BSG lists ongoing significant bleeding, malabsorption caused by gut disease, and difficulties with taking tablets (such as severe difficulty swallowing) as situations where the intravenous route may be preferable at the start¹.

How to get an iron infusion on the NHS

The usual route has several steps, and the infusion itself comes near the end.

See your GP. The GP will usually do a blood test to find out whether your red blood cell count is normal². Ferritin, which reflects your iron stores, is the most useful single marker, and a level below 30 µg/L generally indicates low stores¹.
Find the cause. If the cause is unclear, the GP may arrange a stool test for hidden blood or refer you to a specialist for further checks². The BSG advises that gut investigation should be considered urgently in adults with a new diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia that has no obvious explanation¹.
Start tablets. If your red blood cell count is low, the GP recommends iron tablets and may repeat the blood tests over the following months to check your iron level is returning to normal². The BSG recommends checking the response to tablets within the first 4 weeks¹.
Referral, if tablets are not enough. If tablets do not work, you cannot tolerate them, or you need your iron built up quickly, your doctor decides you need an infusion. At Portsmouth, for example, the relevant hospital team then contacts you to organise it⁵.
The appointment. At St George's, the infusion takes about 15 to 30 minutes and you are asked to stay for 30 minutes afterwards so staff can check for immediate side effects. Blood tests six weeks later show whether it has worked³. Times differ between hospitals (a Lincolnshire maternity leaflet, for example, asks you to allow 1 to 2 hours for the appointment⁴), so your referral team will tell you what to expect.

How long will the wait be? There is no official figure for iron infusions specifically. The closest official measure is NHS England's referral-to-treatment data, which records how long people have been waiting for consultant-led hospital care since their referral. For gastroenterology, the hospital service that investigates unexplained iron deficiency anaemia, people still waiting in London in August 2026 had been waiting a median of about 10 weeks, and 1 in 12 had been waiting more than 33 weeks⁷. At the larger London trusts, the median ranged from about 6 weeks to about 15 weeks⁷. These figures cover every gastroenterology referral, not iron infusions alone, and not everyone needs that referral before an infusion, so your own wait may be shorter or longer. Your GP or the referral team can tell you the local timescale.

Getting an iron infusion privately

The private route has no referral step. You can self-refer: before treatment, the clinic reviews your recent blood results (or arranges them) to confirm iron deficiency and set the dose. The blood test needs to be within the last 3 months, and if you do not have one, we can arrange it at the clinic, with results back within 24 to 48 hours. The dose is set from your ferritin and your weight. The clinic is CQC-registered, and infusions are given by NMC-registered nurses at 27 Hill Street in Mayfair. We can also bring the infusion to you through our IV drip at home service, which carries a call-out fee.

A patient receiving an iron infusion at the Mayfair clinic

At the consultation, we confirm iron deficiency from your blood results and set the dose. As a guideline, we consider an infusion when ferritin is below 15 to 30 µg/L alongside relevant symptoms, and we only go ahead when it is clinically appropriate.

The private route is quick. Our booking records from August 2024 to October 2026 show that about half of iron infusions took place within 2 days of the appointment being booked, and nearly 9 in 10 within a week. The infusion itself takes from 1 hour up to 2 to 3 hours, depending on the dose, with a registered nurse present throughout. We advise a follow-up blood test 4 to 6 weeks later to check your levels are stable. If you need blood tests first, we offer walk-in blood testing at the clinic.

A private infusion does not replace finding out why your iron is low. If you have anaemia and no clear explanation for it, the advice above still applies, so see your GP^{1, 2}.

What it costs: NHS and private

On the NHS, an iron infusion is free of charge, as NHS services are "free of charge, except in limited circumstances sanctioned by Parliament"⁶. Privately, an iron infusion starts from £350, and the final price depends on the dose you need, which is set from your ferritin and weight. Full pricing and booking are on our iron infusion page.

Which route suits you

The NHS route is usually the better place to start if:

you have been told you have anaemia and the cause has not yet been found, because the GP can investigate and arrange referral in one pathway²
you are pregnant, because your maternity team is the first port of call, and infusions in pregnancy are arranged through the maternity unit, as one NHS trust's leaflet describes⁴
you have not yet tried tablets, which remain the first step for most people^{1, 2}
you have gut symptoms or bleeding that has not been explained, because the cause needs investigating¹

The private route usually suits you if:

you already have recent blood results showing iron deficiency, and the cause is known or already being looked into
you have tried tablets and they did not work or did not agree with you, or you cannot take them
you want a fixed appointment, often within the same week once your blood results are in
you would rather have the infusion at home, your hotel or your office

If your haemoglobin is normal but your ferritin is low, the BSG says it is unclear how well iron replacement works, but that it would be reasonable to offer treatment if you have symptoms. The guideline does not say this means an infusion¹. That is worth raising with your GP.

For what low iron can feel like day to day, see our guide to iron infusion and fatigue.

Common questions

Are iron tablets or an infusion better?

For most people the haemoglobin response is similar. The BSG says it is typically similar with tablets and intravenous iron, or marginally faster with intravenous iron, and that intravenous iron replenishes stores more quickly¹. St George's says that in the long term both have similar effects³. According to the BSG, infusions replenish stores faster and cause fewer gut side effects, while tablets cost less and are more convenient¹.

What are the side effects of an iron infusion?

St George's lists a metallic taste (usually fading within 15 minutes) and feeling sick, light-headed or dizzy. Other reported effects include low blood pressure, muscle aches, rash, flushing and fever³. A rare but significant complication is permanent staining or discolouration of the skin, which can occur at the infusion site or elsewhere on the body³. The BSG puts the rate of allergic-type and infusion reactions at about 0.5%, which is more often than with tablets, though the rate of serious reactions is low and similar for tablets and infusions¹. You are observed for 30 minutes afterwards to check for immediate side effects³. For what is normal day by day and when to get help, see our guide to how long iron infusion side effects last.

How many infusions will I need?

The BSG says some intravenous iron preparations can replenish iron stores in one or two infusions¹. St George's says a second infusion a week later may be needed depending on how much iron you need, and that you will need blood tests six weeks after the infusion to check it has worked³.

Can I have an iron infusion in pregnancy?

An NHS trust leaflet says an infusion is not advised in the first trimester but is considered safe after that time, and says it is offered when tablets have not worked, are not tolerated, or iron needs building up quickly⁴. The same leaflet says that if haemoglobin is very low or the birth is close, a blood transfusion may be offered instead⁴. Privately, we only give iron infusions in pregnancy from the second trimester onwards, case by case after review by our medical team, and in coordination with your maternity team.