Diagnostics (DM01) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Scotland diagnostics data for June 2026, published 25 August 2026 · Wales diagnostics data for August 2026, published 22 October 2026 · Northern Ireland diagnostics data for Quarter ending June 2026, published 3 September 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026

MRI waiting times

Name: MRI waiting times in England (August 2026)
Creator: NHS England
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

How long people are waiting for an MRI scan in England, by region and NHS trust, from NHS England’s diagnostics (DM01) statistics for August 2026, plus Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Short answer: At the end of August 2026, 357,356 people in England were waiting for an MRI scan and 78.0% had waited under 6 weeks. 16,345 people had waited 13 weeks or more. The NHS standard is that fewer than 1% wait 6 weeks or more. By NHS England region the share under 6 weeks ranged from 70.7% to 90.1%.

Source: NHS England diagnostics (DM01) statistics, published 8 October 2026. These are past figures, not a forecast of how long you will wait.

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan uses strong magnets and radio waves to make detailed pictures of organs, joints, the brain and spine. It does not use X-rays.

357,356people waiting in England

78.0%waiting under 6 weeks

78,471waiting 6 weeks or more

16,345waiting 13 weeks or more

At the end of August 2026, 357,356 people in England were waiting for an MRI scan. 78.0% had waited under 6 weeks, down 2.0 percentage points since February 2026. The standard is that fewer than 1% wait 6 weeks or more.

How long people had waited

0–1 weeks66,575

1–2 weeks60,633

2–3 weeks50,040

3–4 weeks41,595

4–5 weeks34,265

5–6 weeks25,777

6–7 weeks15,150

7–8 weeks12,885

8–9 weeks10,772

9–10 weeks8,345

10–11 weeks6,412

11–12 weeks4,859

12–13 weeks3,703

13+ weeks16,345

England trend

England: % waiting under 6 weeks for MRI

By region

Region	Under 6 weeks	Waiting list	13+ weeks
North West	90.1%	43,852	543
South West	84.1%	27,999	1,025
North East and Yorkshire	81.5%	46,946	1,329
London	79.4%	59,127	3,391
South East	77.4%	54,655	2,547
Midlands	70.9%	82,432	5,198
East of England	70.7%	42,345	2,312

Trusts in England

Trusts with at least 200 people on the MRI waiting list, ordered by share waiting under 6 weeks. Includes independent-sector and specialist providers, which can have shorter lists.

#	Provider	Region	Under 6 weeks	Waiting list	13+ weeks	Towns
1	Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	London	100.0%	1,322	0	Hackney
2	Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust	London	100.0%	623	0
3	Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	100.0%	1,330	0
4	Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust	South East	100.0%	846	0	Dartford
5	Isle of Wight NHS Trust	South East	100.0%	415	0
6	The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	100.0%	642	0
7	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	100.0%	2,134	0	Blackburn, Burnley
8	Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North West	100.0%	433	0
9	Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	100.0%	405	0	Gateshead
10	Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust	London	99.8%	805	0
11	Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust	South East	99.8%	859	1	Guildford
12	The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust	London	99.6%	225	0
13	Sulis Hospital Bath (Foxcote Avenue)	South West	99.6%	239	0
14	Inhealth Limited	South East	99.6%	3,137	4
15	Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South East	99.6%	280	0
16	Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	99.5%	608	0
17	Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	99.5%	665	2	Bradford
18	Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	North West	99.4%	788	0	Stockport
19	The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust	North West	99.4%	931	0
20	North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust	North West	99.3%	1,341	0
21	Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	99.3%	2,958	0
22	Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	London	99.2%	1,984	1	Croydon
23	Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	99.2%	1,029	0	Woking
24	Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South East	99.2%	742	0
25	The Christie NHS Foundation Trust	North West	99.2%	356	0
26	Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	99.1%	1,602	2	Epsom
27	The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	Midlands	99.1%	3,369	0	Wolverhampton
28	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	South East	99.0%	1,526	0	Maidstone
29	St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	98.8%	2,584	1
30	Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	North West	98.6%	792	1	Bolton
31	Medway NHS Foundation Trust	South East	98.5%	1,414	3
32	Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	98.1%	1,105	2	Wirral
33	Diagnostic Healthcare Ltd	North West	97.8%	457	1
34	University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	97.7%	2,736	24	Bournemouth, Poole
35	Whittington Health NHS Trust	London	97.4%	1,364	0
36	Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South West	97.4%	609	2	Dorchester, Weymouth
37	Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust	London	96.9%	1,482	24	Greenwich
38	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	96.5%	2,188	0
39	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	96.4%	1,326	0	Preston
40	North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	96.4%	1,604	5
41	West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	East of England	96.1%	1,598	0
42	The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	96.0%	2,066	4	Dudley
43	The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	95.7%	726	0	Rotherham
44	Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	95.5%	560	0
45	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	95.1%	2,030	0	Mansfield
46	Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	South West	94.7%	2,092	17	Truro, Falmouth, Penzance
47	Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust	South West	94.6%	1,183	5	Bath
48	Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust	South East	94.2%	897	8
49	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	93.6%	2,030	16	Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes
50	North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	93.2%	1,501	10
51	Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	92.9%	434	0
52	West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	92.8%	820	2
53	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust	Midlands	92.6%	4,802	193	Coventry, Warwick, Leamington Spa
54	University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust	South East	92.5%	2,755	56	Brighton, Worthing, Crawley
55	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	92.4%	2,358	29
56	Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	92.2%	2,002	0
57	George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	92.1%	1,384	2	Nuneaton
58	Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	92.1%	1,000	5
59	York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	92.1%	2,040	14	York, Scarborough
60	Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	South West	92.0%	6,455	60
61	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	North West	91.8%	1,973	6
62	Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	91.1%	1,879	22	Winchester, Basingstoke
63	Cora Health Diagnostics (Formerly Healthshare Diagnostics)	South East	90.8%	3,207	76
64	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	90.8%	3,954	65	Leeds
65	Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust	North West	90.7%	7,627	8	Salford
66	Fitzwilliam Hospital	East of England	90.5%	222	6
67	Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust	North West	90.5%	253	5
68	Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	90.5%	2,319	0	Liverpool
69	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	Midlands	90.2%	6,257	150	Leicester, Loughborough
70	Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	South East	89.1%	2,492	46	Reading, Maidenhead
71	The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	East of England	88.6%	1,965	1
72	Practice Plus Group Hospital - Shepton Mallet	South West	88.1%	219	3
73	Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	88.1%	4,345	75	Oxford, Banbury, Bicester
74	London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust	London	87.6%	3,704	78
75	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	87.5%	4,184	190
76	Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	87.4%	2,034	80	Wakefield
77	County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	87.2%	3,231	0
78	Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust	North West	86.8%	7,589	153	Manchester
79	University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	South East	86.3%	1,581	34	Southampton
80	The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	86.2%	681	0
81	Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	86.2%	2,904	27	St Helens
82	Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	86.0%	2,004	39	Taunton, Yeovil, Bridgwater
83	South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	85.7%	2,156	44
84	Wye Valley NHS Trust	Midlands	84.7%	1,573	54
85	Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	London	84.4%	5,227	23	Camden
86	Fulwood Hall Hospital	North West	84.3%	236	9
87	Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust	South East	83.7%	1,599	115	Slough, Maidenhead
88	The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	82.8%	1,352	2
89	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	London	82.3%	4,902	31	Westminster
90	Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	82.0%	2,711	7	Westminster
91	The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	81.8%	1,795	176
92	Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust	South West	81.7%	1,210	29	Torquay
93	Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	81.0%	2,229	5
94	Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	81.0%	522	5
95	Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	81.0%	221	4
96	South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	80.6%	2,176	0	Warwick, Leamington Spa
97	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	80.3%	7,111	258	Birmingham
98	The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	79.6%	1,006	7
99	Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	79.3%	3,718	127	Sheffield
100	Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	78.0%	1,403	4
101	South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	77.6%	1,167	29	Sunderland
102	Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	76.9%	958	2
103	Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust	London	76.8%	5,835	40
104	Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	76.7%	1,788	276
105	Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	South West	76.0%	366	39
106	The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	75.8%	3,757	154	Newcastle upon Tyne
107	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	75.7%	2,760	363
108	Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	75.4%	297	9	Harrogate
109	East Cheshire NHS Trust	North West	74.1%	1,349	2
110	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	73.9%	2,579	2	Crawley
111	Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	73.8%	2,569	199
112	Rivers Hospital	East of England	73.2%	231	15
113	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	73.0%	1,302	203
114	University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust	South West	72.8%	2,207	118	Plymouth
115	East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust	East of England	72.6%	2,339	50
116	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	72.2%	6,544	312	Camden
117	Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	69.6%	4,713	65
118	Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	69.1%	4,057	49
119	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	69.0%	3,467	44
120	Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	68.9%	7,872	62
121	East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	68.4%	3,980	61
122	Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust	London	67.8%	904	102
123	Medical Imaging Partnership Ltd	South East	67.8%	1,656	35
124	Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	Midlands	67.2%	3,085	74
125	Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	67.1%	2,098	25	Chesterfield
126	Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	66.6%	3,857	534
127	Pennine Musculoskeletal Partnership (Icats)	North West	66.3%	276	0
128	Barts Health NHS Trust	London	65.1%	6,137	1,049
129	North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	65.0%	4,270	82
130	The Cherwell Hospital	South East	63.9%	202	6
131	Omnes Healthcare Ltd	North West	63.6%	467	29
132	Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	62.5%	4,372	36
133	University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust	Midlands	59.2%	6,502	274
134	Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	58.4%	5,415	477	Nottingham
135	Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	57.9%	7,169	1,351
136	Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South West	57.8%	4,597	668	Exeter, Barnstaple, Tiverton
137	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	52.4%	8,354	630	Birmingham
138	East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	South East	51.7%	12,727	863	Canterbury, Ashford
139	Mid & South Buckinghamshire Diagnostic NHS Centre	South East	51.6%	1,621	176
140	Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	49.8%	4,189	596	Doncaster
141	United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	49.6%	5,936	1,484
142	University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	46.9%	6,883	903	Derby
143	James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	43.6%	3,371	668
144	Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust	South East	41.0%	2,737	993	Portsmouth
145	Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	25.3%	1,047	569

Scotland

Scottish diagnostic figures count people waiting more than 6 weeks (42 days) at the end of the month, from Public Health Scotland. Not NHS England data. Scotland overall: 22.6% of 24,391 waiting over 6 weeks (June 2026).

Board / trust	% over 6 weeks	Waiting list
NHS Borders	1.4%	427
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	2.7%	405
NHS Forth Valley	4.8%	1,161
NHS Fife	6.9%	1,537
NHS Grampian	13.8%	1,452
NHS Orkney	21.1%	114
Golden Jubilee National Hospital	23.6%	225
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	23.9%	1,454
NHS Lothian	24.0%	3,982
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	24.8%	8,029
NHS Lanarkshire	26.3%	1,592
NHS Tayside	31.2%	2,857
NHS Shetland	32.1%	112
NHS Highland	37.7%	1,098
NHS Western Isles	40.4%	171

Wales

Welsh diagnostic figures use an 8-week measure (people waiting more than 8 weeks), not the 6-week measure used in England and Scotland, so the numbers are not directly comparable. Not NHS England data. Wales overall: 26.8% of 18,077 waiting over 8 weeks (August 2026).

Board / trust	% over 8 weeks	Waiting list
Swansea Bay University Health Board	6.6%	2,152
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board	9.0%	2,700
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board	9.7%	1,381
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board	16.3%	3,135
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board	42.1%	4,027
Hywel Dda University Health Board	45.5%	4,682

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland diagnostic figures are published quarterly by the Department of Health and count people waiting more than 6 weeks at the end of the quarter. Not NHS England data. Northern Ireland overall: 70.6% of 30,257 waiting over 6 weeks (Quarter ending June 2026).

Board / trust	% over 6 weeks	Waiting list
Southern HSC Trust	55.9%	4,140
Western HSC Trust	67.1%	4,677
Belfast HSC Trust	70.7%	9,912
Northern HSC Trust	74.4%	5,635
South Eastern HSC Trust	80.0%	5,893

MRI waits by town

Aberdeen · Antrim · Ashford · Ballymena · Banbury · Bangor (County Down) · Bangor (Gwynedd) · Barnstaple · Basingstoke · Bath · Belfast · Bicester · Birmingham · Blackburn · Bolton · Bournemouth · Bradford · Bridgwater · Brighton · Burnley · Camden · Canterbury · Cardiff · Chesterfield · Coventry · Crawley · Croydon · Dartford · Derby · Doncaster · Dorchester · Dudley · Dunfermline · East Kilbride · Eastbourne · Edinburgh · Epsom · Exeter · Falmouth · Flint · Gateshead · Glasgow · Greenwich · Guildford · Hackney · Hamilton · Harrogate · Hastings · Inverness · Kirkcaldy · Leamington Spa · Leeds · Leicester · Lewes · Liverpool · Londonderry / Derry · Loughborough · Maidenhead · Maidstone · Manchester · Mansfield · Newcastle upon Tyne · Newport · Newquay · Newry · Nottingham · Nuneaton · Oxford · Penzance · Plymouth · Pontypridd · Poole · Portsmouth · Preston · Reading · Rotherham · Salford · Scarborough · Sheffield · Slough · Southampton · St Helens · Stockport · Sunderland · Swansea · Taunton · Tiverton · Torquay · Truro · Wakefield · Warwick · Westminster · Weymouth · Winchester · Wirral · Woking · Wolverhampton · Worthing · Yeovil · York

Compare MRI scan waits with A&E, cancer and treatment waits for every trust on the compare NHS trusts page. Other tests: CT scan waiting times · Ultrasound waiting times · Endoscopy waiting times.

Sources and dates

Official statistics	Reporting period	Published	Link
NHS England: Diagnostics waiting times (DM01)	August 2026	8 October 2026	Official source
Public Health Scotland: Scotland diagnostic waiting times (key tests)	June 2026	25 August 2026	Official source
Welsh Government (StatsWales): Wales emergency department and diagnostic waiting times (diagnostics)	August 2026	22 October 2026	Official source
Department of Health (Northern Ireland): Northern Ireland diagnostic waiting times (quarterly)	Quarter ending June 2026	3 September 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. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use different measures and periods, so their figures are shown separately and are not directly comparable with England.

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 an MRI scan in England?

At the end of August 2026, 78.0% of the 357,356 people waiting had waited under 6 weeks and 16,345 had waited 13 weeks or more.

What is the diagnostic waiting time standard?

The NHS constitution standard is that fewer than 1% of patients should wait 6 weeks or more for a diagnostic test after referral.

Do urgent referrals wait as long?

No. Urgent referrals, including suspected cancer, are prioritised. The figures cover everyone on the list, so routine waits can be longer than the average suggests.

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.