NHS waiting times - diagnostics
Waits for key diagnostic tests
Accredited official statistics
- Published
- 26 August 2025 (Latest release)
- Type
- Statistical report
- Author
- Public Health Scotland
About this release
This quarterly release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) relates to the number of waits for one of eight key diagnostic tests ongoing at 30 June 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 the first 'Official Statistics in Development' release of data on the number of eight key diagnostic tests performed and covers the period from April 2024 onwards.
Main points
For ongoing waits at 30 June 2025:
- The total waiting list size (number of ongoing waits) for the eight key diagnostic tests combined was 150,506. This represents a 5% (+7,759) increase from the previous quarter-end, when there were 142,747 ongoing waits, and a marginal increase of 595 (+0.4%) compared to 30 June 2024. The latest figure is the highest since the end of May 2024 (150,544).
- When compared to the previous quarter-end, there was an increase in the waiting list size for both endoscopy (+778, +2.4%) and radiology (+6,981, +2.4%). The increase for endoscopy was driven by increases in waits for upper endoscopy (+7%, +793) and lower endoscopy (+5%, +191). The colonoscopy and cystoscopy waiting lists both decreased, by 2% (-178) and 0.4% (-28), respectively. Waiting lists for three out of four key radiology diagnostic tests saw an increase; waits for an MRI rose by 17% (+5,490), non-obstetric ultrasound by 3% (+1,513), and barium studies by 22% (+62). The CT waiting list reduced slightly by 0.3% (-84) in the same period.
- Of the 150,506 ongoing waits at quarter-end, 54% (80,618) had not yet exceeded the six-week standard, a decrease from the 59% (83,573) reported last quarter but an increase compared to June 2024 (50%, 74,975). 40% of endoscopy tests had been ongoing for less than 6 weeks at 30 June 2025 compared to 58% of radiology tests.
- There were 4,507 waits that had been ongoing for longer than a year at quarter-end (3% of all waits). Endoscopy tests accounted for 96% (4,330) of these and radiology tests the other 4% (177). Radiology waits over 52 weeks increased threefold compared to the previous quarter (+261%, +128) to 177, however this is a decrease of 40% (-116) compared to June 2024. Endoscopy tests saw increases of 14% (+534) to 4,330 compared to March 2025 and 39% (+1,224) compared to the same quarter last year.
For activity during quarter-ending 30 June 2025:
- The total volume of activity (number of completed tests) for the eight key diagnostic tests combined was 218,516 (186,151 in radiology and 32,365 in endoscopy). This is a 1% (-1,928) decrease from the previous quarter, when there were 220,444 completed tests. It is an increase of 1% (+1,564) when compared to the same quarter last year.
- When compared to the previous quarter, the volume of activity decreased by 0.8% (-248) for endoscopy tests and 0.9% (-1,680) for radiology tests. However, both increased compared to the same quarter in 2024, with a rise of 0.7% seen for both types of test; endoscopy activity increased by 228 and radiology by 1,336.
- When compared to the previous quarter, the decrease in endoscopy was driven by decreases in lower endoscopy (-16%, -419) and upper endoscopy (-2%, -251). Activity for cystoscopy increased (+7%, +327) as well as colonoscopy (+1%, +95) compared to the previous quarter. The decrease in radiology tests was driven by three of the four tests: non-obstetric ultrasound reduced by 2% (-1,730), CT by 1% (-312), and barium studies by 24% (-271). MRI tests rose by 2% (+633) in this period.
- Of 218,516 completed tests across the quarter, two-thirds (67%, 146,868) were completed within six weeks. The peak of the quarter was in April 2025, when the number reached 49,220 (68.9%). 71% of endoscopy tests were completed within 6 weeks compared to 67% of radiology tests.
- Endoscopy tests accounted for almost two-thirds (62%, 540) of the 867 key tests delivered after a wait of over 52 weeks in the latest quarter; however, a decrease was seen between April and June, from 196 to 176. Radiology activity saw a rise across the latest quarter, from 76 in April 2025 to 114 in June 2025, with the peak of the quarter in May (137).
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 2025.
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.
General enquiries
If you have an enquiry relating to this publication, please contact Róisín Farrell at phs.waitingtimes@phs.scot.
Media enquiries
If you have a media enquiry relating to this publication, please contact the Communications and Engagement team.
Requesting other formats and reporting issues
If you require publications or documents in other formats, please email phs.otherformats@phs.scot.
To report any issues with a publication, please email phs.generalpublications@phs.scot.
Older versions of this publication
Versions of this publication released before 16 March 2020 may be found on the Data and Intelligence, Health Protection Scotland or Improving Health websites.