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 ongoing at 30 September 2025 and the lengths of wait experienced so far. The eight key diagnostic tests include four endoscopy tests (upper endoscopy, lower endoscopy excl. colonoscopy, colonoscopy, and cystoscopy) and four radiology tests (CT scan, MRI scan, barium studies, and non-obstetric ultrasound). The national waiting times standard is that patients waiting for one of these tests should wait no longer than six weeks (42 days). Please note that individual patients are counted more than once if they are waiting for more than one diagnostic test. Please refer to the full report for further detail.

This publication includes an 'Official Statistics in Development' release of data on the number of eight key diagnostic tests performed for the period from April 2024 onwards.

Main points

This stacked area chart is plotted on a dual-axis and shows the monthly trend in the waiting list size for endoscopy tests combined and radiology tests combined. There are also sparklines to illustrate the percentage of waits ongoing for six weeks or less for all eight tests combined, all endoscopy tests combined and all radiology tests combined from 30 September 2022 to 30 September 2025. Radiology tests largely occupy the chart, due to the volume of ongoing waits for these tests compared to endoscopy tests.

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Trend in ongoing waits and percentage of waits ongoing for six weeks or less at month-end, by test, NHSScotland, 30 September 2022 to 30 September 2025.

For ongoing waits at 30 September 2025:

• The total waiting list size (number of ongoing waits) for the eight key diagnostic tests combined was 146,005 (30,787 for endoscopy, 115,218 for radiology). This represents a 3% (-4,501) decrease from the previous quarter-end, when there were 150,506 ongoing waits, but an increase of 7,228 (+5%) compared to 30 September 2024.
• When compared to the previous quarter-end, there was a decrease in the waiting list size for both endoscopy (-2,947, -9%) and radiology (-1,554, -1%). The decrease for endoscopy was observed across all tests, driven particularly by decreases in waits for colonoscopy (-1,808, -17%), followed by cystoscopy (-652, -10%), lower endoscopy (-411, -11%), and upper endoscopy (-76, -1%). The decrease for radiology was driven by CT, which reduced by 12% (-3,132), followed to a much lesser degree by barium studies (-23, -7%). The other two radiology tests saw an increase, rising by 4% (+1,457) for MRI and 0.3% (+144) for non-obstetric ultrasound.
• Of the 146,005 ongoing waits at quarter-end, 54% (79,429) had not yet exceeded the six-week standard, representing very slight increases of 0.8 percentage points both from last quarter (80,618) and compared to September 2024 (74,410). 42% of endoscopy tests had been ongoing for less than 6 weeks at 30 September 2025 compared to 58% of radiology tests.
• There were 3,662 waits that had been ongoing for longer than a year at quarter-end (2% of all waits). Endoscopy tests accounted for 95% (3,481) of these and radiology tests the other 5% (181). Radiology waits over 52 weeks remained approximately the same compared to the previous quarter (+2%, +4), however this represents a decrease of 35% (-96) compared to September 2024. Endoscopy waits over 52 weeks decreased compared to the previous quarter-end by 20% (-849), from 4,330 to 3,481, but increased by 1% (+36) compared to the same quarter last year.

This stacked area chart shows the monthly trend in activity for endoscopy tests combined and radiology tests combined between 30 September 2022 to 30 September 2025. Radiology tests largely occupy the chart, due to the volume of activity for these tests compared to endoscopy tests.

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Trend in volume of activity for 8 key diagnostic tests from April 2024 to September 2025

For activity during quarter-ending 30 September 2025:

• The total volume of activity (number of completed tests) for the eight key diagnostic tests combined was 231,095 (198,051 in radiology and 33,044 in endoscopy). This is a 5% (+10,869) increase from the previous quarter, when there were 220,226 completed tests. It is also an increase of 4% (+8,261) when compared to the same quarter last year.
• When compared to the previous quarter, the volume of activity increased by 2% (+679) for endoscopy tests and 5% (+10,190) for radiology tests. Both also increased compared to the same quarter in 2024, with a rise of 3% (+956) for endoscopy activity and 4% (+7,305) for radiology activity.
• When compared to the previous quarter, the increase in endoscopy was driven by increases in cystoscopy (+333, +6%) and colonoscopy (+267, +2%), followed to a lesser degree by lower endoscopy (+96, +4%). Activity for upper endoscopy decreased slightly (-17, -0.1%) compared to the previous quarter. The increase in radiology tests was observed across all four tests, with the largest increases in MRI (+4,447, +10%) and CT (+3,083, +5%), followed by non-obstetric ultrasound (+2,659, +3%) and barium studies (+1, +0.1%).
• Of 231,095 completed tests across the quarter, nearly two-thirds (65%, 149,300) were completed within six weeks. The peak of the quarter was in July 2025, when the number reached 51,050 (66%). 66% of endoscopy tests were completed within 6 weeks compared to 64% of radiology tests.
• Compared to the previous quarter, the number of key tests delivered after a wait of over 52 weeks increased by 89% (+770), from 867 to 1,637. Endoscopy tests accounted for more than three quarters (79% 1,290) of the 1,637 key tests delivered after a wait of over 52 weeks in the latest quarter, with an increase of more than double between July and September, from 243 to 503 (+260, +107%). The number of radiology tests delivered after a wait of over 52 weeks also increased compared to the previous quarter, but to a lesser extent than endoscopy (+20, +6%).

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 24 February 2026.

PHS is currently undertaking a review of the statistical publications we produce; all planned care waiting times outputs are being reviewed and this may lead to a change in the content, layout and frequency of future publications. Any substantial changes will be announced ahead of implementation. For more information, please contact us at phs.waitingtimes@phs.scot.​