NHS waiting times - diagnostics
Waits for key diagnostic tests

About this release

This quarterly release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) relates to the number of ongoing waits for one of eight key diagnostic tests at 30 June 2024 and the lengths of wait experienced so far. The eight key diagnostic tests are upper endoscopy, lower endoscopy (excl. colonoscopy), colonoscopy, cystoscopy, CT scan, MRI scan, barium studies and non-obstetric ultrasound. Please note that individual patients are counted more than once if they are waiting for more than one diagnostic test, so the statistics released here do not necessarily reflect the actual number of individuals involved. Therefore, the terminology used in the publication is specifically aimed at preventing misinterpretation of statistics. Please refer to the full report for further detail.

Main points

This stacked area chart is plotted on a dual-axis and shows the monthly trend in the waiting list size for each of the eight key diagnostic tests individually, with an additional dark blue line to illustrate the percentage of waits ongoing for six weeks or less for all eight tests combined between 31 March 2019 and 30 June 2024. There are two vertical dotted lines depicting when COVID-19 emergency measures were introduced (March 2020) in NHSScotland and when these were lifted (April 2022). The three high-volume radiology tests (non-obstetric ultrasound, CT and MRI) largely occupy the chart, due to the volume of ongoing waits for each.

Close

Trend in ongoing waits and percentage of waits ongoing for six weeks or less at month-end, by test, NHSScotland, 31 March 2019 to 30 June 2024

At 30 June 2024:

• The total waiting list size (number of ongoing waits) for the eight key tests combined was 149,912. This represents a <0.1% (-102) decrease from the previous quarter-end when there were 150,014 ongoing waits and is lower than observed in June 2023 (152,607). However, this figure remains higher than prior to when the COVID-19 pandemic began to significantly impact service provision. For instance, it remains more than two-thirds (70%) higher than at the end of June 2019 when there were 88,012 waits ongoing.
• Although there was little change in the overall number of waits for one of the eight key diagnostic tests, there was some fluctuation among the tests compared to the previous quarter end. For instance, waits for colonoscopy showed a reduction of 7% (-1,001) and lower endoscopy waits reduced by 526 (-12%). On the other hand, increases were seen for CT (+2%, +669), MRI (+2%, +435), and upper endoscopy (+4%, +479).
• Of these, 50% had not yet exceeded the six-week standard, a decrease from the 53% reported last quarter. However, there was variation across tests, with just 30% of waits for a lower endoscopy ongoing for six weeks or less compared to 83% for a barium study.
• Waits over 26 weeks for a radiology test decreased by 27% (-1,557) compared to 31 March 2024; in addition, radiology waits longer than 52 weeks decreased by almost a fifth (-19%, -69). Despite this overall decrease in long waits for a radiology test, waits ongoing for longer than 26 weeks for an MRI increased (+88, +12%).
• In contrast, endoscopy tests saw an increase of 5% for waits both over 26 weeks and 52 weeks compared to last quarter, with an increase of 417 in those waiting longer than 26 weeks, and a rise of 142 for waits over 52 weeks. Endoscopy tests now account for 91% of waits over 52 weeks. However, this overall increase was not seen across all endoscopy tests; the number of waits longer than 52 weeks for a lower endoscopy showed a small decrease (-45, -5%).

Further information

Data from this publication are available from the publication page on our website.

Open data from this publication is available from the Scottish Health and Social Care Open Data platform.

The next release of this publication will be 26 November 2024.

NHS Performs

A selection of information from this publication is included in NHS Performs. NHS Performs is a website that brings together a range of information on how hospitals and NHS Boards within NHSScotland are performing.