CT scan – Royal Cornwall Hospitals NOT LIVE
Nearly all (99.3%)
people on the CT scan waiting list had waited under 6 weeks (1,160 waiting).
Official monthly figure, end of Aug 2026 · published 8 October 2026 · NHS England
Diagnostics (DM01) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
CT scan waiting times in Penzance
Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 99.3% of the 1,160 people waiting for a CT scan at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, the main trust serving Penzance, had waited under 6 weeks, compared with 90.7% across the South West region and 88.8% in England. 1 person had waited 13 weeks or more. The NHS standard is that fewer than 1% wait 6 weeks or more.
Source: NHS England diagnostics (DM01) statistics, published 8 October 2026. These are past figures, not a forecast of how long you will wait.
How long people are waiting for a CT scan at the hospital trust serving Penzance, from NHS England’s monthly diagnostics (DM01) statistics for August 2026.
Penzance: local hospitals and referrals
- Nearest hospital run by Royal Cornwall Hospitals: West Cornwall Hospital (Penzance) (TR18 2PF), under a mile from central Penzance.
- Usually referred to: patients in Penzance are usually referred to Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the nearest major hospital. Your GP or referrer can tell you where you would go.
- Nearest community diagnostic centre doing CT scans: West Cornwall CDC (TR18 2PF), under a mile away. Source: NHS England CDC activity data, Aug 2026.
- Integrated care board: NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ICB.
What is a CT scan?
A CT (computed tomography) scan uses X-rays and a computer to make cross-section images of the body. It is quick and widely used for the chest, abdomen, head and to stage cancer.
CT scan waiting list at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
99.3%waiting under 6 weeks
1,160people on the CT waiting list
8waiting 6 weeks or more
1waiting 13 weeks or more
At the end of August 2026, 1,160 people were waiting for a CT scan at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. 99.3% had been waiting less than 6 weeks, which is 10.5 percentage points above the England figure of 88.8% and 8.6 percentage points above the South West figure of 90.7%. 1 person (0.1%) had waited 13 weeks or more.
How long people on the CT scan list had waited
Royal Cornwall Hospitals: % waiting under 6 weeks for CT England
| Month | Waiting under 6 weeks | Waiting list | England under 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 99.3% | 1,160 | 88.8% |
| July 2026 | 98.8% | 1,137 | 90.1% |
| June 2026 | 99.5% | 1,080 | 90.1% |
| May 2026 | 99.7% | 1,064 | 89.0% |
| April 2026 | 99.4% | 1,117 | 87.5% |
| March 2026 | 98.8% | 1,553 | 90.0% |
| February 2026 | 98.2% | 1,749 | 90.6% |
How Penzance compares
| Area | Under 6 weeks | Waiting list | 13+ weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust | 99.3% | 1,160 | 1 |
| South West region | 90.7% | 17,041 | 183 |
| England | 88.8% | 181,619 | 4,683 |
Compare all trusts across England on the compare page.
Nearby hospital trusts for CT scans
No other NHS trust serving a town within about 60 miles of Penzance reported a CT scan waiting list of 100 or more. Compare CT scan waits across England.
CT scan waits in nearby towns
| Nearby town | Distance | Main trust or board | CT under 6 weeks | Waiting list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falmouth | 21 miles | Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust | 99.3% | 1,160 |
| Truro | 24 miles | Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust | 99.3% | 1,160 |
| Newquay | 29 miles | Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust | 99.3% | 1,160 |
More for Penzance: all waiting times · A&E waiting times in Penzance · MRI scan waiting times in Penzance · Ultrasound waiting times in Penzance · Endoscopy waiting times in Penzance. National picture: CT scan waiting times in England · waiting times in the South West region.
Understanding the 6-week figure
NHS England counts everyone on the waiting list for a test at the end of each month and how many weeks they have waited since referral. The standard is that fewer than 1% of patients wait 6 weeks or more. Urgent referrals, including suspected cancer, are usually prioritised, so routine waits can be longer than the average suggests. If your wait is much longer than you were told, contact the hospital’s booking team or the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
Sources and dates
| Official statistics | Reporting period | Published | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS England: Diagnostics waiting times (DM01) | August 2026 | 8 October 2026 | Official source |
This page was last updated on 2 November 2026. The reporting period is the time the figures describe; the published date is when the official publisher released them. These figures describe people who were already waiting or attending during the reporting period. They are not a forecast or a guarantee of how long someone referred now will wait: that depends on clinical urgency, the hospital and the service.
Official statistics are reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See data sources and methods, or report a figure that looks wrong.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for a CT scan in Penzance?
At the end of August 2026, 99.3% of the 1,160 people waiting for a CT scan at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust had waited under 6 weeks, and 1 had waited 13 weeks or more. The England figure was 88.8% under 6 weeks.
Are CT scan waits in Penzance getting shorter?
The share waiting under 6 weeks at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust was 98.2% in February 2026 and 99.3% in August 2026, up 1.1 percentage points.
Can I have my CT scan somewhere else?
In England you can usually discuss with your GP or the referring clinician which hospitals or community diagnostic centres you could be referred to. Waiting times at nearby trusts are listed on this page as a starting point. The nearest community diagnostic centre recording CT scans in NHS England’s Aug 2026 data is West Cornwall CDC, under a mile from Penzance.
How often are these figures updated?
NHS England publishes A&E, diagnostics (DM01) and referral to treatment (RTT) statistics every month, usually on the second Thursday. A&E figures cover the previous month; diagnostics and RTT figures are a month further behind. This site refreshes when new files are published.