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Ultrasound scan: NHS wait for the test 3 weeks

Diagnostic ultrasound scan for soft tissue, abdominal, pelvic, MSK or vascular assessment. People waiting for an NHS ultrasound scan (non-obstetric) in England had waited a median of 3.0 weeks for the test, and 21.7% had waited 6 weeks or more (NHS England diagnostic waiting times, August 2026). That is the wait for the test itself, not for treatment. No major private hospital group publishes a quotable price for this procedure.

NHS wait for the test (England)
3.0 weeks
Waited 6 weeks or more
21.7%
of people waiting for the test
Waiting for the test
648,630
300 NHS-funded providers
Private price
Not published

According to NHS England diagnostic waiting times (DM01) for August 2026, people waiting for an NHS ultrasound scan (non-obstetric) in England had waited a median of 3.0 weeks for the test, and 21.7% had waited 6 weeks or more.

According to TreatCompare analysis of price lists published by Nuffield Health, Ramsay Health Care UK and Spire Healthcare, none of them publishes a quotable price for private ultrasound scan.

NHS England diagnostic waiting times (DM01), August 2026; NHS England RTT waiting times, incomplete pathways, August 2026; Nuffield Health, Ramsay Health Care UK and Spire Healthcare published price lists.

Important context

NHS waiting-time figures are published at trust or specialty level. Private prices are read from individual hospitals’ own published price lists and cover a few named hospital groups rather than the whole private market; each operator defines its own inclusions, so their figures are shown separately and not averaged. Local eligibility, referral route, clinical urgency, provider package and insurance status can change the real-world choice. TreatCompare is for comparison only and is not medical, legal or financial advice.

Source type
Official NHS waiting-time data and published private hospital prices
Primary source
NHS England diagnostic waiting times (DM01)
Reporting period
August 2026
Last updated
2026-10-26
Figure type
Mixed sources
Use
Research and comparison only

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Ultrasound scan: how each route pays

The NHS rows are the wait for the ultrasound scan (non-obstetric) itself (NHS England DM01, August 2026). Self-pay rows are what hospitals publish; no self-pay wait has been read.
Ultrasound scan: how each route pays
RouteWhat it coversWaitPriceSource
NHS trust136 trusts, 567,046 people waiting for the testThe ultrasound scan (non-obstetric) itselfWait for the test, not for any treatment after it3.1 weeksmedian so far, 22.3% waiting 6 weeks or more, August 2026. Calculated from NHS England's published weekly bandsFree of charge, apart from limited exceptions set by Parliament
NHS-funded at another provider164 independent-sector, GP and community providers. NHS-funded patients; not like-for-like with trustsThe ultrasound scan (non-obstetric) itselfWait for the test, not for any treatment after it2.3 weeksmedian so far, 17.1% waiting 6 weeks or more, August 2026. Calculated from NHS England's published weekly bandsFree of charge, apart from limited exceptions set by Parliament
Private medical insuranceInsurers, policies and premiums are not compared on this siteNot trackedSet by each policy’s own wordingNot trackedNo wait for insured patients has been readNot applicablePremiums and excesses are not trackedNone for this row
Self-payNot applicableNot trackedNo self-pay waiting time has been read for any hospitalNot publishedNo price found in the hospital fee schedules readNone for this row
  • What the wait measures. How long people still waiting have waited so far. It is not the time from referral to treatment.
  • Choosing where you are referred. In most cases NHS patients in England have the legal right to choose the hospital or service they are referred to, including many private hospitals that provide services to the NHS (NHS.uk). NHS-funded waits at those providers are not self-pay waits.
  • Insurance. What a policy pays for is set by its own wording. TreatCompare does not compare, rank or price insurers, policies or premiums.

Sources for this table

NHS wait for the ultrasound scan (non-obstetric) itself, England

NHS England diagnostic waiting times (DM01): patients waiting at the end of the month for this test, and how long they have waited so far for the test itself. This is the wait for the test, not for treatment. NHS England names the test “Non-obstetric Ultrasound”. In August 2026, 648,630 people were waiting for it across 300 providers. NHS England’s published median was 3.0 weeks, and 21.7% had waited 6 weeks or more.

155 providers with at least 200 people waiting, A–Z
Ultrasound scan (non-obstetric): NHS wait by provider, A to Z
ProviderTypeMedian wait6+ weeksWaiting
Airedale NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.2 weeks4.2%1,433
Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust4.3 weeks32.7%6,326
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust5.1 weeks44.6%4,935
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.5 weeks0%2,366
Barts Health NHS TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks8.9%8,762
Beacon Medical Services Group LimitedOther NHS-funded provider5.3 weeks43.9%1,360
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.9 weeks16.9%5,641
Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.3 weeks16.3%1,609
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust4.5 weeks38.8%3,429
Blakelands HospitalOther NHS-funded provider10.5 weeks70.9%268
Bolton NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.3 weeks0.3%875
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.2 weeks0.8%1,063
Bristol NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.6 weeks10.1%9,556
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS TrustNHS trust2.3 weeks22.3%2,265
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.9 weeks15.9%2,243
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust4.3 weeks37.5%5,115
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.7 weeks26.5%7,008
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.9 weeks12.8%3,854
Cora Health Diagnostics (Formerly Healthshare Diagnostics)Other NHS-funded provider0.7 weeks4.4%21,955
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.1 weeks20.1%3,218
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust4.0 weeks31.4%7,090
Croydon Health Services NHS TrustNHS trust1.7 weeks0%4,817
Curx Health LimitedOther NHS-funded provider0.9 weeks0%450
Dartford and Gravesham NHS TrustNHS trust2.7 weeks11.9%8,880
Diagnostic Healthcare LtdOther NHS-funded provider4.4 weeks5.1%2,739
Diagnostic World LtdOther NHS-funded provider2.8 weeks0%1,257
Direct Medicare UK LtdOther NHS-funded provider0.7 weeks0%384
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.2 weeks2.5%3,419
Dorking Healthcare Limited (DHC)Other NHS-funded provider3.5 weeks14%974
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.0 weeks0.9%1,321
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.2 weeks0.3%335
East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS TrustNHS trust4.8 weeks40.8%8,738
East Cheshire NHS TrustNHS trust3.1 weeks8.4%2,259
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust9.8 weeks67.8%11,064
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks5%5,868
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks8.9%6,129
East Sussex Healthcare NHS TrustNHS trust1.6 weeks0.8%1,711
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks0.8%7,081
Essexultrasound & Medical Services LtdOther NHS-funded provider4.2 weeks0%5,183
Frimley Health NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.2 weeks4.8%8,431
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.6 weeks1.6%2,496
George Eliot Hospital NHS TrustNHS trust1.7 weeks5.3%1,061
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.2 weeks8%3,522
Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.6 weeks9.3%601
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.0 weeks1.1%2,329
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.4 weeks26.8%7,593
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.8 weeks0.4%757
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.6 weeks8.9%4,256
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks7.7%1,529
Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.2 weeks2.1%3,903
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust3.7 weeks30.3%5,497
Imperial College Healthcare NHS TrustNHS trust2.2 weeks15.6%4,160
Inhealth LimitedOther NHS-funded provider6.3 weeks51.4%14,413
Insidevue LimitedOther NHS-funded provider5.6 weeks43.6%748
Isle of Wight NHS TrustNHS trust1.9 weeks0.8%726
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.1 weeks20.9%1,820
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.2 weeks23.5%3,767
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.6 weeks2.4%5,686
Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.5 weeks24.3%5,365
Korus HealthOther NHS-funded provider2.6 weeks5.7%2,762
Lakeside Medical DiagnosticsOther NHS-funded provider3.3 weeks0%1,254
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.5 weeks23.9%5,872
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust3.4 weeks17.8%5,988
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS TrustNHS trust4.5 weeks38.8%12,569
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks7.7%5,655
Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.7 weeks8.2%667
London North West University Healthcare NHS TrustNHS trust3.0 weeks25.5%6,975
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS TrustNHS trust3.0 weeks20.2%5,547
Manchester University NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.7 weeks1.5%9,358
Medway NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.5 weeks0.5%745
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks20.5%7,028
Mid & South Buckinghamshire Diagnostic NHS CentreOther NHS-funded provider4.5 weeks37.3%2,440
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.5 weeks34.1%5,550
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.6 weeks1.9%2,992
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks1.1%4,010
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.3 weeks6.5%3,133
Newton Place SurgeryOther NHS-funded provider2.5 weeks20%205
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.1 weeks21.6%4,733
North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.3 weeks0%1,853
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.7 weeks1.3%2,024
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.2 weeks18.6%3,840
North West Anglia NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust5.6 weeks46.5%7,245
Northampton General Hospital NHS TrustNHS trust4.5 weeks36.6%4,920
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.5 weeks7.1%4,205
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.3 weeks18.2%4,727
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks0%6,984
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust6.3 weeks51.6%6,439
Oaklands HospitalOther NHS-funded provider2.7 weeks4.1%219
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.5 weeks8.3%5,380
Patient Care Locally CICOther NHS-funded provider1.9 weeks0.3%1,877
Physiological Measurements LtdOther NHS-funded provider0.6 weeks0.2%6,219
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks11.3%3,789
Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre - St Marys PortsmouthOther NHS-funded provider3.7 weeks26%1,251
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.6 weeks3.4%974
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks1.2%2,654
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust2.5 weeks1.4%1,961
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.3 weeks25.6%4,570
Royal Free London NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks17.9%12,588
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.6 weeks0.7%2,326
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks14%3,261
Salisbury NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks5%1,732
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust2.0 weeks13.5%5,233
Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks0.9%235
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust10.1 weeks65.7%13,625
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.5 weeks2.9%2,664
Somerset NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.0 weeks15.2%4,396
South East Ultrasound LtdOther NHS-funded provider1.8 weeks0%2,926
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.6 weeks0.9%3,158
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.2 weeks24.9%5,766
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.9 weeks8%3,035
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust4.5 weeks36.9%10,696
Stockport NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks6%1,993
Suffolk GP FederationOther NHS-funded provider4.7 weeks38.7%2,656
Surgimed Healthcare LtdOther NHS-funded provider2.5 weeks7.1%2,100
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS TrustNHS trust3.9 weeks27.6%4,131
Sussex Community NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.7 weeks13.6%1,406
Sydenham House Medical CentreOther NHS-funded provider3.0 weeks0%599
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks0.2%1,179
The Avicenna Medical PracticeOther NHS-funded provider2.5 weeks7%229
The Cherwell HospitalOther NHS-funded provider13.0 weeks68.7%556
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.7 weeks34.9%3,954
The Grange PracticeOther NHS-funded provider2.5 weeks0%375
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.1 weeks9.1%1,834
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.1 weeks3.1%3,970
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS TrustNHS trust3.9 weeks31%5,624
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.1 weeks18.7%2,317
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.8 weeks0.5%412
The Rotherham NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.8 weeks0%1,342
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS TrustNHS trust1.9 weeks0.1%3,021
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS TrustNHS trust4.7 weeks36.6%5,472
The Yorkshire ClinicOther NHS-funded provider3.8 weeks33.6%268
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.5 weeks28.1%2,330
United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust8.2 weeks61.4%17,152
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.1 weeks5%1,863
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.0 weeks10.6%3,329
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust5.1 weeks42.5%16,455
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS TrustNHS trust2.0 weeks0.4%3,842
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.5 weeks0.9%2,572
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.5 weeks23%7,223
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS TrustNHS trust1.8 weeks2.4%5,372
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.0 weeks16.2%3,474
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks10.2%4,804
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS TrustNHS trust3.1 weeks20.4%4,062
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust2.7 weeks8.7%7,115
Walsall Healthcare NHS TrustNHS trust2.4 weeks19.1%1,706
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust4.5 weeks39.8%8,463
West Suffolk NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust3.7 weeks27.6%2,918
Whitstable Medical PracticeOther NHS-funded provider2.5 weeks0%214
Whittington Health NHS TrustNHS trust2.6 weeks1.4%3,290
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust1.9 weeks1.2%2,719
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS TrustNHS trust5.9 weeks49.3%8,326
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust4.0 weeks13.5%2,919
Wye Valley NHS TrustNHS trust2.0 weeks4.3%1,467
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNHS trust4.0 weeks32%5,177
Yorkshire Health Solutions LtdOther NHS-funded provider1.5 weeks0%696
  • Provider medians are calculated from NHS England’s published weekly bands, by the method that reproduces NHS England’s own England median. NHS England does not publish a median per provider.
  • “Other NHS-funded provider” covers independent-sector, GP and community providers treating NHS patients. These are not self-pay waits; no self-pay test wait has been read.
  • Source: NHS England monthly diagnostic waiting times and activity, August 2026, published 2026-10-08. England only.

NHS waiting time by city, shortest first

CityMedian waitCompare locally

Nuffield Health, Ramsay Health Care UK and Spire Healthcare publish no price for ultrasound scan

These are the 3 operators whose published price lists we read — 105 of their 116 UK hospitals publish one — and none prices this procedure in a way that can be quoted. Where a price is listed at all it is banded by an internal code with nothing published to say what each band covers, so there is no figure we can honestly attach to this procedure. Other operators may publish one; we do not yet read them, and we would rather say that than imply the market is silent.

Ask the hospital for a written quote before booking. The NHS waiting-time figures on this page are unaffected — those come from NHS England and cover every trust.

UK private hospital scrape signals

Checked 7 private provider sources on 9 Nov 2026; 6 mentioned the treatment, a quote or a price. 8 GBP prices read. A further 1 figure below is recorded by hand from a provider page that blocks automated reading, and was not re-read on this date.

ProviderSignalCaptured valueSource
360MedPrice
Ultrasound scan
£250Provider page
360MedPrice
Ultrasound scan
£450Provider page
Cobalt HealthPrice
Ultrasound scan
£332Provider page
Oryon ImagingPrice
Ultrasound scan
£295Provider page
Practice Plus GroupPrice
Ultrasound scan – one body part
£236Provider page
Scan.com UKPrice
Ultrasound scan from-price
£180Provider page
Vista HealthPriceRecorded by hand
Ultrasound scan from-price
£175Provider page
Vista HealthPrice
Ultrasound scan
£150Provider page

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