NHS Ultrasound Waiting Times — The Current Picture
What the published data actually shows, why ultrasound waits run longer than CT or MRI, what you can do to move things along — and when going private is the wrong call.
NHS England publishes diagnostic waiting times every month in the DM01 return, covering 15 key tests. Non-obstetric ultrasound — the category covering abdominal, pelvic, thyroid, musculoskeletal and most general scanning — is consistently the single largest of them by volume.
| Measure | Latest published position |
|---|---|
| Waiting over 6 weeks for an ultrasound | 21% (January 2026) |
| Comparison — CT | 11.5% waiting over 6 weeks |
| Ultrasound activity | 752,866 non-obstetric scans in January 2026 — about 31% of all diagnostic test activity |
| All diagnostic tests | Around 1.8 million people waiting in England, roughly one in four beyond six weeks |
| The operational standard | Fewer than 1% should wait six weeks or more — not met since November 2013 |
Those are national figures. Your actual wait depends far more on your local trust, the urgency of your referral and the type of scan than on any national average — some areas run close to target while others quote several months for routine work.
Why ultrasound waits run longer than CT or MRI
It looks counterintuitive — ultrasound is the cheapest and most portable of the three — but the reason is straightforward once you see it. A CT or MRI scan is limited by machine time; an ultrasound is limited by people. A scanner can be run in shifts, and images can be reported later by a radiologist anywhere. An ultrasound has to be performed and interpreted by a trained sonographer, in real time, one patient at a time.
That makes the constraint a workforce constraint, and workforce cannot be bought and installed the way a scanner can. Add the sheer volume — ultrasound is roughly a third of all diagnostic activity — and the queue is structurally harder to clear than for tests where equipment is the bottleneck.
The scan, and then the report
People routinely underestimate the second half of this. There is the wait for the scan appointment, and then the wait for the report to reach the person who referred you. Both count, and they are tracked differently — DM01 measures the wait for the test, not for the result.
It is entirely possible to be scanned reasonably quickly and then wait a further period for the report to be issued, verified and sent to your GP. If you are chasing progress, it is worth asking which of the two stages you are actually in — the answer changes who you should be chasing.
Moving things along on the NHS
- 1
Find out where you actually areRing the radiology booking office at the trust you were referred to, not your GP surgery. Ask whether the referral has been received, accepted, and what the current routine wait is for your scan type.
- 2
Ask to go on the cancellation listGenuinely effective and frequently not offered. If you can attend at short notice, say so explicitly and make sure they have a mobile number that you answer.
- 3
Tell someone if your symptoms changeReferrals are prioritised clinically. If things have worsened since you were referred, your GP can escalate the urgency — but only if they know.
- 4
Ask about other providersWaits vary substantially between neighbouring trusts, and patients in England generally have some choice of provider for planned care. Your GP or the booking team can tell you what is realistic locally.
- 5
Do not sit on an urgent referralIf you were referred on an urgent or suspected-cancer pathway, that pathway is fast and should be followed. Chase it rather than paying to sidestep it.
When going private makes sense — and when it does not
When it can genuinely help: a routine referral with a long local wait and symptoms that are affecting your life; wanting an answer sooner about something that is probably benign but is causing real anxiety; a scan you would have to pay for anyway because the NHS does not routinely provide it; or wanting a second look between NHS appointments.
When it does not: if you are on an urgent or suspected-cancer pathway, that referral is the fast route and comes with the specialist follow-up attached — a private scan does not accelerate it and can distract from it. If your symptoms need emergency assessment, a booked scan is the wrong destination entirely. And a private scan does not move you up the NHS list for treatment — it answers the diagnostic question sooner, which is a different thing.
One practical point in favour: a private report written for your GP can inform what happens next, including making an onward referral better targeted. What it cannot do is substitute for a pathway that includes treatment.
Your questions answered
How long is the NHS wait for an ultrasound?
What is the six-week diagnostic standard?
Why is the ultrasound wait longer than for CT or MRI?
Can I ask to be seen at a different hospital?
Does a private scan get me seen faster on the NHS afterwards?
I am on a two-week suspected cancer pathway. Should I go private?
Where does this data come from?
Weighing it up
If waiting is not workable
Appointments usually within days, scanned by HCPC-registered sonographers, findings explained on screen, and a written report usually within two hours — written so your GP can act on it. If you are on an urgent NHS pathway, stay on it.
Kensington, London W8 4ED
3 mins from Notting Hill Gate
Figures reviewed 1 August 2026 against the January 2026 position. Source: NHS England, Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), published monthly, with analysis via the Nuffield Trust diagnostic waiting times indicator. National averages do not predict any individual wait — check with your referring trust. This article is general information, not individual medical advice.
Written and clinically reviewed by the HCPC-registered sonographers who perform this scan at IUS London — a CQC-registered diagnostic ultrasound clinic (Provider ID 1-2775844974). Your own findings are explained to you at the scan and set out in your report.
Author: Yianni Kiromitis, Senior Sonographer, HCPC RA38415
Data reviewed: 1 August 2026
