How long is the NHS wait for Cystoscopy?

There is no single national wait — it depends on which hospital you are sent to. Cystoscopy waits vary between hospitals, sometimes several-fold, so the useful thing is to compare your own area. The table above ranks the NHS trusts and independent providers reporting Cystoscopy to NHS England, shortest median wait first, from NHS England's DM01 diagnostic figures.

Can I choose which hospital does my Cystoscopy?

For a planned, non-urgent test, you can ask. If your GP refers you to a consultant-led service, you have a legal right, with exceptions, to choose the provider, including one with a shorter wait — the NHS Right to Choose. For a test your GP orders directly, ask your GP whether you can have it at a different hospital. Most people are never told this and go to their nearest by default. It does not apply to urgent or emergency tests.

What does "seen within 6 weeks" mean for Cystoscopy?

Six weeks is the NHS operational standard for diagnostic tests — patients should wait no longer than that. The "within 6 weeks" figure for each hospital is the share of its patients who met that standard; the median is the typical wait. Both come from NHS England's monthly DM01 statistics.

Diagnostics

NHS Cystoscopy waiting times

Also called: bladder camera test.

A cystoscopy uses a thin camera passed through the urethra to look inside the bladder. It can be done under local or general anaesthetic. It is used to investigate blood in the urine, recurrent urine infections, and ongoing bladder symptoms. There is no single national wait: it depends heavily on which hospital you are sent to, and the spread between hospitals is large. Below, the NHS trusts and independent providers reporting Cystoscopy to NHS England are ranked by median wait, shortest first.

Compiled by Dr Mustafa Ghafouri (MBChB, MSc) · NHS England DM01 data, August 2026

Typical hospital wait

2.5 weeks

median across 134 NHS trusts and independent providers

Fastest hospital

under 1 week

shortest published median

Hospitals compared

134

117 NHS trusts and 17 independent providers reporting Cystoscopy

If this is urgent: Cystoscopy to investigate visible blood in the urine is usually arranged on an urgent (two-week-wait) basis rather than the routine list shown here.

Cystoscopy waits by hospital, shortest first

Median wait and the percentage of patients seen within 6 weeks — the NHS operational standard for diagnostics. Hospitals with very few patients waiting are excluded so a median is meaningful.

#	Hospital or provider	Median wait	Within 6 weeks
1	London Independent HospitalLondon	under 1 week	100%
2	Beaumont HospitalBolton	about 1 week	100%
3	Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustLondon	about 1 week	100%
4	Bristol NHS Foundation TrustBristol	about 1 week	100%
5	Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation TrustChesterfield	about 1 week	100%
6	Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLiverpool	about 1 week	100%
7	Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustAshton-under-Lyne	about 1 week	100%
8	Practice Plus Group Hospital - SouthamptonSouthampton	about 1 week	100%
9	East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation TrustCanterbury	about 1 week	99%
10	Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustBradford	about 1 week	98%
11	Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS TrustTruro	about 1 week	98%
12	Isle of Wight NHS TrustNewport	about 1 week	98%
13	Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation TrustReading	about 1 week	97%
14	Airedale NHS Foundation TrustKeighley	about 1 week	96%
15	Frimley Health NHS Foundation TrustCamberley	about 1 week	96%
16	Somerset NHS Foundation TrustTaunton	about 1 week	95%
17	Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation TrustLondon	about 1 week	95%
18	The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation TrustLondon	about 1 week	93%
19	The Dudley Group NHS Foundation TrustDudley	about 1 week	92%
20	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation TrustGrimsby	about 1 week	89%
21	Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustChertsey	about 1 week	88%
22	George Eliot Hospital NHS TrustNuneaton	about 1 week	86%
23	Huddersfield Private HospitalHuddersfield	about 1 week	85%
24	Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation TrustLiverpool	about 1 week	84%
25	Nottingham University Hospitals NHS TrustNottingham	about 1 week	72%
26	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation TrustHuddersfield	2 weeks	100%
27	Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust	2 weeks	100%
28	Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustDoncaster	2 weeks	100%
29	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWigan	2 weeks	100%
30	The Christie NHS Foundation TrustManchester	2 weeks	100%
31	Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS TrustWakefield	2 weeks	99%
32	Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustNorth Shields	2 weeks	98%
33	The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustUxbridge	2 weeks	97%
34	South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation TrustWarwick	2 weeks	96%
35	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS TrustSmethwick	2 weeks	96%
36	University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS TrustStoke-on-Trent	2 weeks	96%
37	East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS TrustStevenage	2 weeks	95%
38	Royal Surrey NHS Foundation TrustGuildford	2 weeks	93%
39	Medway NHS Foundation TrustGillingham	2 weeks	92%
40	Manchester University NHS Foundation TrustManchester	2 weeks	90%
41	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation TrustKendal	2 weeks	89%
42	North West Anglia NHS Foundation TrustPeterborough	2 weeks	88%
43	Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation TrustKettering	2 weeks	88%
44	West Suffolk NHS Foundation TrustBury St. Edmunds	2 weeks	87%
45	Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation TrustSalford	2 weeks	85%
46	Salisbury NHS Foundation TrustSalisbury	2 weeks	85%
47	Bolton NHS Foundation TrustBolton	2 weeks	85%
48	University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation TrustWorthing	2 weeks	84%
49	The Rotherham NHS Foundation TrustRotherham	2 weeks	84%
50	London North West University Healthcare NHS TrustHarrow	2 weeks	84%
51	Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation TrustBath	2 weeks	83%
52	East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation TrustColchester	2 weeks	82%
53	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS TrustLeicester	2 weeks	82%
54	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustLeeds	2 weeks	82%
55	Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustCambridge	2 weeks	81%
56	Wye Valley NHS TrustHereford	2 weeks	81%
57	Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS TrustPortsmouth	2 weeks	80%
58	York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustYork	2 weeks	79%
59	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS TrustMaidstone	2 weeks	77%
60	Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustPrescot	2 weeks	77%
61	University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation TrustPoole	2 weeks	76%
62	Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOxford	2 weeks	75%
63	Renacres HospitalOrmskirk	2 weeks	74%
64	Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustCheltenham	2 weeks	74%
65	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSutton-in-Ashfield	2 weeks	72%
66	Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation TrustTorquay	2 weeks	70%
67	Woodlands HospitalDarlington	2 weeks	68%
68	Imperial College Healthcare NHS TrustLondon	3 weeks	97%
69	Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation TrustWirral	3 weeks	95%
70	Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation TrustChester	3 weeks	94%
71	Epsomedical GroupCobham	3 weeks	91%
72	Boston West HospitalBoston	3 weeks	91%
73	St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLondon	3 weeks	86%
74	North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation TrustWarrington	3 weeks	86%
75	Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation TrustBirmingham	3 weeks	85%
76	The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS TrustShrewsbury	3 weeks	84%
77	The Royal Wolverhampton NHS TrustWolverhampton	3 weeks	83%
78	Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS TrustCarshalton	3 weeks	82%
79	University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation TrustDerby	3 weeks	81%
80	Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustBlackpool	3 weeks	80%
81	The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNewcastle upon Tyne	3 weeks	79%
82	University Hospitals Plymouth NHS TrustPlymouth	3 weeks	79%
83	Croydon Health Services NHS TrustThornton Heath	3 weeks	78%
84	Gateshead Health NHS Foundation TrustGateshead	3 weeks	77%
85	Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLuton	3 weeks	73%
86	East Sussex Healthcare NHS TrustSt. Leonards-on-Sea	3 weeks	71%
87	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS TrustBlackburn	3 weeks	70%
88	Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation TrustDorchester	3 weeks	70%
89	Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustCrewe	3 weeks	70%
90	Whittington Health NHS TrustLondon	3 weeks	70%
91	Royal Free London NHS Foundation TrustLondon	3 weeks	63%
92	South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustMiddlesbrough	3 weeks	62%
93	Northampton General Hospital NHS TrustNorthampton	3 weeks	61%
94	Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation TrustKingston upon Thames	3 weeks	60%
95	Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre - DevizesDevizes	4 weeks	100%
96	North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustCarlisle	4 weeks	82%
97	East Cheshire NHS TrustMacclesfield	4 weeks	78%
98	Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation TrustBarnsley	4 weeks	76%
99	Dartford and Gravesham NHS TrustDartford	4 weeks	73%
100	Fulwood Hall HospitalPreston	4 weeks	71%
101	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLondon	4 weeks	67%
102	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS TrustRedhill	4 weeks	64%
103	Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustHull	4 weeks	63%
104	Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustBasingstoke	4 weeks	62%
105	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS TrustWorcester	4 weeks	62%
106	Buckshaw HospitalChorley	4 weeks	61%
107	Rivers HospitalSawbridgeworth	4 weeks	61%
108	Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSheffield	4 weeks	61%
109	The Yorkshire ClinicBingley	4 weeks	61%
110	Blakelands HospitalMilton Keynes	4 weeks	60%
111	Harrogate and District NHS Foundation TrustHarrogate	4 weeks	59%
112	Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustExeter	4 weeks	58%
113	West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustWatford	4 weeks	55%
114	Fitzwilliam HospitalPeterborough	4 weeks	55%
115	The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation TrustKing's Lynn	5 weeks	59%
116	The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS TrustHarlow	5 weeks	54%
117	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustPreston	5 weeks	54%
118	Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSwindon	5 weeks	53%
119	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation TrustLondon	5 weeks	51%
120	South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation TrustSunderland	5 weeks	50%
121	Woodthorpe HospitalNottingham	5 weeks	50%
122	University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation TrustSouthampton	6 weeks	49%
123	Mount Stuart HospitalTorquay	6 weeks	38%
124	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustBirmingham	7 weeks	44%
125	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustNorwich	7 weeks	42%
126	Lewisham and Greenwich NHS TrustLondon	8 weeks	41%
127	United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustLincoln	8 weeks	39%
128	Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation TrustWestcliff-on-Sea	9 weeks	40%
129	Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS TrustRomford	10 weeks	27%
130	Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS TrustAmersham	11 weeks	45%
131	Barts Health NHS TrustLondon	13 weeks	47%
132	James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustGreat Yarmouth	13 weeks	38%
133	Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation TrustMilton Keynes	13 weeks	29%
134	Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation TrustLondon	13 weeks	21%

Can I choose where I have my Cystoscopy?

For a planned, non-urgent diagnostic test you can ask. If your GP refers you to a consultant-led service, you have a legal right, with exceptions, to choose the provider — including one with a shorter wait. For a test your GP orders directly, ask your GP whether you can have it at a different hospital. Most people are never told this and go to their nearest by default. If the test leads to a referral, you can also compare NHS waiting times for treatment at hospital trusts in England.

How the NHS Right to Choose works

Where these numbers come from

Waits are from NHS England's monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01) statistics, for August 2026. Each figure is the provider's median wait for that test; “within 6 weeks” is the NHS operational standard. Nothing here is medical advice — the site surfaces the published data so you and your GP can use it.

NHS England DM01 source data

Frequently asked questions

How long is the NHS wait for Cystoscopy?: There is no single national wait — it depends on which hospital you are sent to. Cystoscopy waits vary between hospitals, sometimes several-fold, so the useful thing is to compare your own area. The table above ranks the NHS trusts and independent providers reporting Cystoscopy to NHS England, shortest median wait first, from NHS England's DM01 diagnostic figures.
Can I choose which hospital does my Cystoscopy?: For a planned, non-urgent test, you can ask. If your GP refers you to a consultant-led service, you have a legal right, with exceptions, to choose the provider, including one with a shorter wait — the NHS Right to Choose. For a test your GP orders directly, ask your GP whether you can have it at a different hospital. Most people are never told this and go to their nearest by default. It does not apply to urgent or emergency tests.
What does "seen within 6 weeks" mean for Cystoscopy?: Six weeks is the NHS operational standard for diagnostic tests — patients should wait no longer than that. The "within 6 weeks" figure for each hospital is the share of its patients who met that standard; the median is the typical wait. Both come from NHS England's monthly DM01 statistics.
Is the Cystoscopy wait different if it is urgent or to check for cancer?: Cystoscopy to investigate visible blood in the urine is usually arranged on an urgent (two-week-wait) basis rather than the routine list shown here.

Compare other NHS scans and tests

All NHS diagnostic waiting times

See also our guide to NHS urology waiting times.