Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Track NHS diagnostic tests waiting times in your area

Consultants looking at result from a MRI scan on a brain and a bar chart which symbolises diagnostic waiting times in scotland

There are not many things in life more stressful than waiting for a diagnosis.

Once a diagnosis is given the work can begin on treatment or learning to live with a condition, but you can’t begin that step until you’ve received diagnostic tests.

With that in mind we’ve put together a selection of charts laying bare the current waiting times for NHS diagnostic tests.

All of the charts contained in this article will be updated whenever new data is available.

The key diagnostic tests covered in this article are barium studies, colonoscopy, CT, cystoscopy, lower endoscopy, MRI, and non-obstetric ultrasound.

What is the target for diagnostic waiting times in Scotland?

The Scottish Government has set a target that for the eight key diagnostic tests, patients should wait no longer than six weeks.

Although Covid-19 has had an impact on diagnostic waiting times in Scotland, a report by Public Health Scotland shows that the number of Scots waiting for diagnostic tests is 75% higher than the average in the 12 months prior to the pandemic.

Barium study waiting times

Barium studies involve ingestion of a substance called barium which shows up on x-rays as a contrast and assists in diagnosis.

The chart below shows the available data on waiting times for barium studies across NHS Scotland health boards.

Use the dropdown to find the area you are interested in.

Upper endoscopy waiting times

Upper GI endoscopy involves using a small camera to see the lining of the upper GI tract.

It can be used to investigate the cause of problems such as heartburn, bleeding, nausea, and difficulty swallowing.

A £1 million specialist endoscopy clinic opened in Aberdeen in 2022 and aims to help with the north-east’s endoscopy backlog.

The chart below shows the available data on waiting times for upper endoscopy across NHS Scotland health boards.

Use the dropdown to find the area you are interested in.

Colonoscopy waiting times

Colonoscopy involves the use of a small, flexible camera which is used to investigate the health of the bowels.

Patients will be provided with a laxative preparation prior to the test which ensures the bowels are empty for the test.

The chart below shows the available data on waiting times for colonoscopies across NHS Scotland health boards.

Use the dropdown to find the area you are interested in.

CT waiting times

CT stands for computerised tomography and it is a diagnostic scan that uses both x-rays and computer imaging to create a detailed picture of the inside of the body.

They are carried out in hospitals by specially trained radiographers.

CT scans can be used to diagnose conditions such as strokes or injuries to internal organs.

The chart below shows the available data on waiting times for CT scans across NHS Scotland health boards.

Use the dropdown to find the area you are interested in.

Cystoscopy waiting times

Cystoscopy uses a thin camera called a cystoscope to look inside the bladder.

Cystoscopy can be used to diagnose urinary tract issues such as infections, trouble urinating or pelvic pain.

The chart below shows the available data on waiting times for cystoscopy across NHS Scotland health boards.

Use the dropdown to find the area you are interested in.

Lower endoscopy waiting times

Endoscopy is another test that involves passing a small camera into the body.

It can be used to help diagnose abdominal pain and can detect abnormalities such as inflammation, infection or ulcers.

The chart below shows the available data on waiting times for lower endoscopy across NHS Scotland health boards.

Use the dropdown to find the area you are interested in.

MRI waiting times

A woman looking at results from a MRI scan of a brainMRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging.

It is a type of scan that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of the inside of the body.

John Mallard led the team that created the first full-body MRI scanner in Aberdeen. 

MRI scans can be used to look at almost any part of the body and will be carried out by a radiographer.

The chart below shows the available data on waiting times for MRI scans across NHS Scotland health boards.

Use the dropdown to find the area you are interested in.

Non-obstetric ultrasound waiting times

Non-obstetric ultrasound is a non-invasive procedure that scans the body to aid in diagnosis.

Ultrasound devices use a probe which emits high frequency sound waves.

The waves ‘bounce’ off of the relevant part of the body and turn into a moving image.

The chart below shows the available data on waiting times for non-obstetric ultrasound scans across NHS Scotland health boards.

Use the dropdown to find the area you are interested in.


If you have been impacted by long waiting times and wish to share your story, please fill in the form below.

An error has occurred while loading your details. Please click the following link to try again - if the issue persists, please don't hesitate to contact us. Try again by refreshing the page.


More health data

This article is part of a series that aims to make data about waiting times and pressures on the NHS more accessible and easy to understand. You can view the rest of the series below.


The charts in this tracker series are automatically updated with the latest available data from Public Health Scotland. The source code for this project can be found on our data team GitHub page.

Conversation