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Diagnostic Waiting Times

This dataset reports key statistics on diagnostic waiting times as a monthly summary of patients waiting times for eight key diagnostic tests and investigations.

All publications and supporting material to this topic area can be found on the Public Health Scotland website. A selection of information from this publication is included in NHS Performs.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source Aggregate counts accredited and derived from individual NHSScotland Boards are submitted monthly to PHS using a defined Excel template.
Author Waiting Times Team
Last Updated February 25, 2025, 09:40 (GMT)
Created July 4, 2019, 09:22 (BST)
Contact Address Public Health Scotland, Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9EB
Subject Access and Waiting Times
Frequency Quarterly
Time frame of data and timeliness Deadline for data submission is the 22nd of each month, though files can be resubmitted up to one week before publication where the quality assurance process identifies differences with local figures.
Coverage Data covers all health boards in Scotland since 2007.
Completeness 100% of submitted data is used for analysis and publication.
Accuracy PHS only receives aggregate data from each NHS Board where the data for the previous quarter is confirmed by the submitting Board. Although aggregated data cannot be systematically validated by PHS, PHS does carry out quality assurance checks on the data submitted. Reported data are compared to previous figures and to expected trends. Derivation of the figures and data accuracy is a matter for individual NHS Boards.
Continuity of data Prior to April 2022, Golden Jubilee was reporting on numbers of ongoing waits for a radiology test that were largely referred from other NHS Boards and in some instances, these same waits were also being reported by referring NHS Boards. Golden Jubilee revised their recording practice from April 2022 onwards to only report on their own regional services patients and a number of elective patients who have their full patient journey at Golden Jubilee and are not part of another NHS Board's waiting list. This represents a break in trend and therefore Golden Jubilee statistics from April 2022 onwards are not comparable to previous months and years.
Concepts and definitions A Data Submission Guidance document is available in printed and electronic form. These have been provided to all NHS Boards' key DMMI contacts. This information is now published and available to view on the Public Health Scotland website (https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/20899/diagnostic-tests-and-investigations-monthly-data-submission-guidance-v5-4.pdf)
Disclosure The PHS protocol on Statistical Disclosure Protocol is followed.
Revision statement Historic data is not normally revised unless revision of data is required due to NHS Board re-submission of revised local data following publication. Statistical qualifiers are used to mark revised data when re-submissions have occurred.
Official statistics designation National Statistics
Relevance and key uses of the statistics Waiting times are important to patients and are a measure of how the NHS is responding to demands for services. Measuring and regular reporting of waiting times highlights where there are delays in the system and enables monitoring of the effectiveness of NHS performance throughout the country. The NHS in Scotland has been set a number of targets for maximum waiting times.
Format CSV
Language English
Links

NHS England Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity. The published statistics are not comparable due to definitional differences.