CT scan NHS waiting times
National median NHS wait for ct scan is 3 weeks (90th percentile 7). Figures below come from NHS England's monthly diagnostics (DM01) return.
Reviewed by PlainNHS ·
Median wait
3 weeks
Within 6-week target · national median for CT Scan
Annual NHS volume
1,850,000
Approx. completed pathways / year
90th percentile
7 weeks
Above 6-week target · 9 in 10 patients treated within
Pick a profiled NHS Trust to open a side-by-side wait comparison for ct scan against another trust you choose next.
National median for ct scan is 3 weeks (90th percentile 7), on about 1,850,000 completed pathways a year. Among the 11 trusts PlainNHS profiles, medians run from Cambridge University Hospitals at 2 weeks to Guys and St Thomas at 3 weeks. English diagnostic providers with lists of 100+ span about 1 to 6 weeks. Source: NHS England DM01 diagnostics, period DM01-MAY-2026.
- Among 11 profiled trusts, Cambridge University Hospitals is fastest at 2 weeks vs Guys and St Thomas at 3
- English diagnostic providers with lists of 100+ span about 1 to 6 weeks
- About 1,850,000 completed pathways a year nationally for ct scan
The wait picture
National median for ct scan is 3 weeks (90th percentile 7), on about 1,850,000 completed pathways a year. Among the 11 trusts PlainNHS profiles, medians run from Cambridge University Hospitals at 2 weeks to Guys and St Thomas at 3 weeks. English diagnostic providers with lists of 100+ span about 1 to 6 weeks.
- 3 wks
- National median wait for CT Scan
- 7 wks
- 90th percentile (9 in 10 treated within)
- 2 wks
- Fastest profiled trust (Cambridge University Hospitals)
- 3 wks
- Slowest profiled trust (Guys and St Thomas)
Profiled trusts: 11. Figures are the named diagnostic test from DM01. Period DM01-MAY-2026.
How to read this pathway
For diagnostic-only pathways such as ct scan, the operational standard patients usually hear about is the 6-week diagnostic waiting-times target in NHS England's monthly DM01 return - not the 18-week Referral-to-Treatment (RTT) incomplete-pathway standard that covers consultant-led elective treatment.
Patients have a statutory right to choose where they are referred at the point of GP referral. The chart and table below show each profiled trust's reported wait for ct scan (outpatient) from NHS England's monthly diagnostics return.
CT Scan median at profiled trusts
Sorted ascending. Named diagnostic test from NHS England DM01. Period DM01-MAY-2026.
Share within 6 weeks at profiled trusts
Sorted descending. Same NHS England return as the median chart; useful when choosing between trusts on the same pathway.
CT Scan (Outpatient) waits at profiled trusts
From NHS England's monthly diagnostics return (DM01) for DM01-MAY-2026. Diagnostic tests are measured against a six-week standard, not the 18-week referral-to-treatment pathway, and unlike the specialty figures elsewhere on this site these are for ct scan (outpatient) specifically. Across every English provider with a list of 100 or more, the median wait runs from about 1 to 6 weeks. Waits are reported in one-week bands: a median of 3 means the middle patient has waited more than 2 and at most 3 weeks.
| NHS Trust | Region | Median (wks) | Within 6wks | Waiting | 13+ wks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 2 | 88.3% | 1,136 | 8 |
| Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust | London | 2 | 98.6% | 148 | 0 |
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | London | 2 | 98.5% | 1,792 | 2 |
| Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 2 | 100% | 2,493 | 0 |
| Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust | London | 2 | 97.2% | 2,956 | 4 |
| The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North East | 2 | 94.6% | 2,319 | 37 |
| Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust | London | 3 | 80.6% | 4,343 | 100 |
| Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | London | 3 | 82.6% | 1,984 | 112 |
| Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | Yorkshire & Humber | 3 | 90.9% | 3,590 | 8 |
| Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 3 | 87.6% | 4,251 | 78 |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | London | 3 | 97.3% | 2,051 | 9 |
Source: NHS England monthly diagnostics (DM01), DM01-MAY-2026. Covers the 11 profiled trusts reporting this test to NHS England.
Fastest CT Scan (Outpatient) waits nationally
The 30 shortest median waits among all 131 English NHS providers reporting ct scan (outpatient) to NHS England's DM01 return for DM01-MAY-2026 - a wider national view than the profiled-trusts table above, which is limited to the trusts this site covers in depth. Only providers with 100 or more incomplete pathways are included.
| Provider | Region | Median (wks) | Within 6wks | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MID AND SOUTH ESSEX NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 1 | 96.1% | 2,259 |
| NORFOLK AND NORWICH UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 1 | 98.8% | 1,480 |
| MEDWAY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 1 | 98.7% | 386 |
| THE ROYAL MARSDEN NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 1 | 100% | 343 |
| UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 96.8% | 3,655 |
| UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF NORTH MIDLANDS NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 96.9% | 3,516 |
| ROYAL FREE LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | London | 2 | 97.2% | 2,956 |
| NORTHERN CARE ALLIANCE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 97% | 2,723 |
| OXFORD UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | South East | 2 | 100% | 2,493 |
| UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS SUSSEX NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 92.8% | 2,423 |
| NORTHUMBRIA HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 99.8% | 2,325 |
| THE NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | North East | 2 | 94.6% | 2,319 |
| EAST SUFFOLK AND NORTH ESSEX NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 98% | 2,010 |
| MAIDSTONE AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 99.6% | 1,981 |
| LONDON NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 93.4% | 1,895 |
| FRIMLEY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 98% | 1,846 |
| LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 99.2% | 1,831 |
| IMPERIAL COLLEGE HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST | London | 2 | 98.5% | 1,792 |
| HULL UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 77.1% | 1,726 |
| WEST HERTFORDSHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 100% | 1,628 |
| EAST SUSSEX HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 92.6% | 1,615 |
| UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DORSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 99.6% | 1,591 |
| BEDFORDSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 94.9% | 1,586 |
| NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 96.6% | 1,577 |
| UNITED LINCOLNSHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 99% | 1,577 |
| NORTHERN LINCOLNSHIRE AND GOOLE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | - | 2 | 98.5% | 1,570 |
| NORTH BRISTOL NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 99.3% | 1,540 |
| CROYDON HEALTH SERVICES NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 95.2% | 1,531 |
| MERSEY AND WEST LANCASHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 93.1% | 1,470 |
| THE SHREWSBURY AND TELFORD HOSPITAL NHS TRUST | - | 2 | 98.3% | 1,446 |
Source: NHS England monthly diagnostics (DM01), DM01-MAY-2026. Most providers below are outside this site's profiled-trust roster and so have no linked page.
The national queue behind this figure
The national median above (3 weeks) sits behind 198,188 patients waiting for a ct scan (outpatient) across every English provider in May 2026, with 89% within the six-week standard, and 5,604 had already waited more than double that (13+ weeks). The profiled trusts above (1–6 weeks) run either side of that national median.
Source: NHS England monthly diagnostics (DM01), national all-provider total (May 2026), the England-wide figure the per-trust breakdown above is drawn from, not a further trust.
Among NHS England diagnostic tests
On the same DM01 return (May 2026), CT ranks #1 of 15 by the share of patients waiting within six weeks (89%, national median 3 weeks, 5,604 already past 13 weeks). Slower shares include Electrophysiology (85.3%) and DEXA scan (83.3%). This ranks one published diagnostic series against the others on file; it is not a clinical priority order.
Source: NHS England monthly diagnostics (DM01) national totals, all 15 tests in May 2026, ranked by % within the six-week standard.
Six-week diagnostic waiting-times standard
NHS England's monthly diagnostics (DM01) return measures incomplete diagnostic pathways against a six-week operational standard. The national median on this page for ct scan is 3 weeks; the 90th percentile is 7 weeks (period DM01-MAY-2026).
Share of profiled-trust pathways within 6 weeks
Across the 11 trusts PlainNHS profiles (27,063 people still waiting in the DM01-MAY-2026 return), a waiting-list-weighted 90.9% of pathways were within 6 weeks. That is a roll-up of the per-trust shares in the chart above, not a second NHS England figure.
Patients waiting 13 weeks or longer
DM01 also reports how many incomplete ct scan pathways have already waited 13 weeks or more. Across profiled trusts that is 358 people in the DM01-MAY-2026 return.
Counts at profiled trusts
| NHS Trust | Waiting 13+ wks | Total waiting |
|---|---|---|
| Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 112 | 1,984 |
| Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust | 100 | 4,343 |
| Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust | 78 | 4,251 |
| The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 37 | 2,319 |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 9 | 2,051 |
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 8 | 1,136 |
| Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 8 | 3,590 |
| Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | 2,956 |
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | 2 | 1,792 |
Related diagnostic pathways we track
National medians from the same NHS England family of returns. Each link opens that pathway's wait page.
- Colonoscopy - national median 4 weeks
- MRI Scan (Outpatient) - national median 4 weeks
Choosing a diagnostic provider at referral
Diagnostic tests such as ct scan are booked through the NHS e-Referral Service (still often called Choose and Book). At the point of GP referral you can ask to see providers that offer this DM01 test. PlainNHS does not book appointments; it publishes the diagnostic waits from NHS England's monthly return so you can compare listed trusts before the referral is locked in.
Read with this pathway
- Compare two trusts - Side-by-side DM01 waits for ct scan
- Choose and Book guide - How the diagnostic referral entitlement works
- Colonoscopy - National median 4 weeks
- MRI Scan - National median 4 weeks
- NHS Trust index - CQC ratings alongside wait figures
- RTT key findings - National diagnostic vs elective standard gaps
Monthly DM01 release cadence
The figures on this page refresh when PlainNHS ingests the next NHS England DM01 diagnostics release. The data vintage in the hero and the period labels on the charts are the ones currently on file (DM01-MAY-2026).
Where to see what moved
- /changes - month-on-month movements across profiled trusts
- All procedures - diagnostic and elective pathways we track
- Procedure wait variation research - how spreads differ across pathways
- Open datasets - downloadable tables matching the DB
What to do with this pathway
Use the published waits for CT Scan before you contact your GP or the trust's PALS.
- National median wait is 3 weeks (90th percentile 7 weeks on the May 2026 return). Browse procedures
- Put two trusts on the same monthly RTT or DM01 return side by side. Compare trusts
- Read how the six-week diagnostic standard is defined in NHS England’s DM01 release. All procedures
Statistical waiting times only, not medical advice or a prediction for your case.
Source: NHS England Diagnostics waiting times and activity (DM01) · DM01-MAY-2026
Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
PlainNHS procedure pages are rendered directly from NHS England RTT and diagnostic (DM01) releases, no number is typed in by an editor. Median and provider waits for CT Scan (Outpatient) come from the live specialty or diagnostic return on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Data current as of DM01-MAY-2026. Figures here are for context and comparison; clinical pathway decisions belong with your GP, NHS 111, or the treating Trust.