How long is the NHS wait for Echocardiogram?

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

Can I choose which hospital does my Echocardiogram?

For a planned, non-urgent test, often yes. In England you have a legal right, when your GP refers you, to ask to be seen at a hospital with a shorter wait — the NHS Right to Choose. 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 Echocardiogram?

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 Echocardiogram waiting times

Also called: echo, heart ultrasound scan.

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan of the heart. It shows the heart muscle, valves and pumping function in real time, painlessly and without radiation. It is used to investigate breathlessness, murmurs, palpitations and known or suspected heart conditions. There is no single national wait: it depends heavily on which hospital you are sent to, and the spread between trusts is large. Below, every English NHS trust that reports Echo is ranked by its median wait, shortest first.

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

Typical trust wait

2 weeks

median across 136 trusts

Fastest trust

under 1 week

shortest published median

Hospitals compared

136

English NHS trusts reporting Echo

Find your wait

Compare Echocardiogram waits near you

Enter your postcode to see the hospitals near you ranked by wait and distance. Free, independent, from NHS figures.

Echocardiogram waits by hospital, shortest first

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

#	Hospital trust	Median wait	Within 6 weeks
1	SOMERSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTTAUNTON	under 1 week	97%
2	CORA HEALTH DIAGNOSTICS (FORMERLY HEALTHSHARE DIAGNOSTICS)WEST MALLING	under 1 week	91%
3	THE ROYAL MARSDEN NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	about 1 week	100%
4	SHEFFIELD CHILDREN'S NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSHEFFIELD	about 1 week	100%
5	PRACTICE PLUS GROUP HOSPITAL - SOUTHAMPTONSOUTHAMPTON	about 1 week	100%
6	SULIS HOSPITAL BATH (FOXCOTE AVENUE)BATH	about 1 week	100%
7	EAST LANCASHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTBLACKBURN	about 1 week	100%
8	THE CHRISTIE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTMANCHESTER	about 1 week	100%
9	LEEDS TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTLEEDS	about 1 week	100%
10	EAST AND NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE TEACHING NHS TRUSTSTEVENAGE	about 1 week	100%
11	DONCASTER AND BASSETLAW TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTDONCASTER	about 1 week	100%
12	NORTH CUMBRIA INTEGRATED CARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCARLISLE	about 1 week	99%
13	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE NHS TRUSTCOVENTRY	about 1 week	99%
14	ROYAL SURREY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTGUILDFORD	about 1 week	98%
15	OXFORD UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTOXFORD	about 1 week	98%
16	NORTHUMBRIA HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTNORTH SHIELDS	about 1 week	98%
17	UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	about 1 week	97%
18	FRIMLEY HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCAMBERLEY	about 1 week	97%
19	SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTWARWICK	about 1 week	97%
20	CROYDON HEALTH SERVICES NHS TRUSTTHORNTON HEATH	about 1 week	96%
21	THE PRINCESS ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL NHS TRUSTHARLOW	about 1 week	96%
22	SOUTH TEES HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTMIDDLESBROUGH	about 1 week	96%
23	KINGSTON AND RICHMOND NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTKINGSTON UPON THAMES	about 1 week	95%
24	MID CHESHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCREWE	about 1 week	95%
25	GREAT WESTERN HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSWINDON	about 1 week	92%
26	LANCASHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTPRESTON	about 1 week	86%
27	BRADFORD TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBRADFORD	about 1 week	86%
28	THE ROTHERHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTROTHERHAM	2 weeks	100%
29	INHEALTH LIMITEDBEACONSFIELD	2 weeks	100%
30	MID YORKSHIRE TEACHING NHS TRUSTWAKEFIELD	2 weeks	100%
31	TAMESIDE AND GLOSSOP INTEGRATED CARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTASHTON-UNDER-LYNE	2 weeks	100%
32	THE ROYAL WOLVERHAMPTON NHS TRUSTWOLVERHAMPTON	2 weeks	100%
33	LIVERPOOL HEART AND CHEST HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLIVERPOOL	2 weeks	100%
34	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBIRMINGHAM	2 weeks	100%
35	WALSALL HEALTHCARE NHS TRUSTWALSALL	2 weeks	99%
36	SOUTH TYNESIDE AND SUNDERLAND NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSUNDERLAND	2 weeks	99%
37	AIREDALE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTKEIGHLEY	2 weeks	99%
38	BARKING, HAVERING AND REDBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTROMFORD	2 weeks	99%
39	HOMERTON HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	99%
40	THE HILLINGDON HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTUXBRIDGE	2 weeks	99%
41	ASHFORD AND ST PETER'S HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCHERTSEY	2 weeks	99%
42	BARTS HEALTH NHS TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	99%
43	BRISTOL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBRISTOL	2 weeks	98%
44	SHERWOOD FOREST HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD	2 weeks	98%
45	HAMPSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBASINGSTOKE	2 weeks	98%
46	MAIDSTONE AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS NHS TRUSTMAIDSTONE	2 weeks	97%
47	CHESTERFIELD ROYAL HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCHESTERFIELD	2 weeks	97%
48	ST GEORGE'S UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	97%
49	QUEEN VICTORIA HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTEAST GRINSTEAD	2 weeks	97%
50	WHITTINGTON HEALTH NHS TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	97%
51	BOLTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBOLTON	2 weeks	97%
52	NORTH TEES AND HARTLEPOOL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTHARTLEPOOL	2 weeks	97%
53	WEST SUFFOLK NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBURY ST. EDMUNDS	2 weeks	96%
54	IMPERIAL COLLEGE HEALTHCARE NHS TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	96%
55	MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTMANCHESTER	2 weeks	95%
56	WIRRAL UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTWIRRAL	2 weeks	95%
57	WEST HERTFORDSHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTWATFORD	2 weeks	95%
58	BIRMINGHAM WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBIRMINGHAM	2 weeks	95%
59	LEWISHAM AND GREENWICH NHS TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	93%
60	BLACKPOOL TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBLACKPOOL	2 weeks	92%
61	EAST SUFFOLK AND NORTH ESSEX NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCOLCHESTER	2 weeks	91%
62	WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTWORCESTER	2 weeks	90%
63	TORBAY AND SOUTH DEVON NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTTORQUAY	2 weeks	90%
64	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF MORECAMBE BAY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTKENDAL	2 weeks	90%
65	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS PLYMOUTH NHS TRUSTPLYMOUTH	2 weeks	88%
66	NORTHERN LINCOLNSHIRE AND GOOLE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTGRIMSBY	2 weeks	88%
67	THE DUDLEY GROUP NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTDUDLEY	2 weeks	88%
68	LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLIVERPOOL	2 weeks	87%
69	KING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	86%
70	UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL SOUTHAMPTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSOUTHAMPTON	2 weeks	85%
71	JAMES PAGET UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTGREAT YARMOUTH	2 weeks	85%
72	GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	82%
73	GUY'S AND ST THOMAS' NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	2 weeks	79%
74	NORTH CHESHIRE AND MERSEY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTWARRINGTON	2 weeks	72%
75	NORTHERN CARE ALLIANCE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSALFORD	2 weeks	69%
76	BARNSLEY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBARNSLEY	2 weeks	68%
77	HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSOUTHAMPTON	3 weeks	100%
78	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS SUSSEX NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTWORTHING	3 weeks	100%
79	BUCKINGHAMSHIRE HEALTHCARE NHS TRUSTAMERSHAM	3 weeks	98%
80	DARTFORD AND GRAVESHAM NHS TRUSTDARTFORD	3 weeks	96%
81	SALISBURY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSALISBURY	3 weeks	89%
82	SHEFFIELD TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSHEFFIELD	3 weeks	86%
83	EAST KENT HOSPITALS UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCANTERBURY	3 weeks	86%
84	KETTERING GENERAL HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTKETTERING	3 weeks	82%
85	COUNTY DURHAM AND DARLINGTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTDARLINGTON	3 weeks	81%
86	ROYAL FREE LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	3 weeks	80%
87	EAST SUSSEX HEALTHCARE NHS TRUSTST. LEONARDS-ON-SEA	3 weeks	78%
88	THE SHREWSBURY AND TELFORD HOSPITAL NHS TRUSTSHREWSBURY	3 weeks	77%
89	CHELSEA AND WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLONDON	3 weeks	77%
90	WRIGHTINGTON, WIGAN AND LEIGH TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTWIGAN	3 weeks	76%
91	SANDWELL AND WEST BIRMINGHAM HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTSMETHWICK	3 weeks	75%
92	PRACTICE PLUS GROUP HOSPITAL - SHEPTON MALLETSHEPTON MALLET	3 weeks	75%
93	EPSOM AND ST HELIER UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTCARSHALTON	3 weeks	75%
94	CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCAMBRIDGE	3 weeks	74%
95	GATESHEAD HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTGATESHEAD	3 weeks	71%
96	WYE VALLEY NHS TRUSTHEREFORD	3 weeks	70%
97	ISLE OF WIGHT NHS TRUSTNEWPORT	3 weeks	66%
98	PRACTICE PLUS GROUP HOSPITAL - BARLBOROUGHCHESTERFIELD	4 weeks	90%
99	STOCKPORT NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTSTOCKPORT	4 weeks	83%
100	ROYAL UNITED HOSPITALS BATH NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTBATH	4 weeks	80%
101	EAST CHESHIRE NHS TRUSTMACCLESFIELD	4 weeks	74%
102	COUNTESS OF CHESTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCHESTER	4 weeks	69%
103	MILTON KEYNES UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTMILTON KEYNES	4 weeks	69%
104	PORTSMOUTH HOSPITALS UNIVERSITY NHS TRUSTPORTSMOUTH	4 weeks	67%
105	MERSEY AND WEST LANCASHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTPRESCOT	4 weeks	65%
106	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUSTLEICESTER	4 weeks	64%
107	ROYAL DEVON UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTEXETER	4 weeks	64%
108	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF DERBY AND BURTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTDERBY	4 weeks	64%
109	MEDWAY NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTGILLINGHAM	4 weeks	63%
110	CARE PLUS GROUPGRIMSBY	4 weeks	63%
111	THE HAMPTONS HOSPITAL LTDPETERBOROUGH	5 weeks	59%
112	SURREY AND SUSSEX HEALTHCARE NHS TRUSTREDHILL	5 weeks	56%
113	CALDERDALE AND HUDDERSFIELD NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTHUDDERSFIELD	5 weeks	56%
114	NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTNOTTINGHAM	5 weeks	56%
115	DORSET COUNTY HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTDORCHESTER	5 weeks	56%
116	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF NORTH MIDLANDS NHS TRUSTSTOKE-ON-TRENT	5 weeks	55%
117	UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DORSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTPOOLE	5 weeks	54%
118	BEDFORDSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTLUTON	5 weeks	53%
119	HARROGATE AND DISTRICT NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTHARROGATE	5 weeks	52%
120	DORKING HEALTHCARE LIMITED (DHC)REDHILL	5 weeks	52%
121	LONDON NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY HEALTHCARE NHS TRUSTHARROW	5 weeks	50%
122	NORTH WEST ANGLIA NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTPETERBOROUGH	6 weeks	49%
123	PRACTICE PLUS GROUP SURGICAL CENTRE - ST MARYS PORTSMOUTHPORTSMOUTH	6 weeks	48%
124	ROYAL CORNWALL HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTTRURO	6 weeks	47%
125	THE NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTNEWCASTLE UPON TYNE	6 weeks	46%
126	GLOUCESTERSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCHELTENHAM	7 weeks	44%
127	UNITED LINCOLNSHIRE TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTLINCOLN	8 weeks	40%
128	NORFOLK AND NORWICH UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTNORWICH	8 weeks	37%
129	THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HOSPITAL, KING'S LYNN, NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTKING'S LYNN	8 weeks	36%
130	MID AND SOUTH ESSEX NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTWESTCLIFF-ON-SEA	8 weeks	35%
131	ROYAL BERKSHIRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTREADING	9 weeks	41%
132	YORK AND SCARBOROUGH TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTYORK	9 weeks	25%
133	GEORGE ELIOT HOSPITAL NHS TRUSTNUNEATON	10 weeks	29%
134	HULL UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUSTHULL	11 weeks	32%
135	ROYAL PAPWORTH HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUSTCAMBRIDGE	13 weeks	25%
136	NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL NHS TRUSTNORTHAMPTON	13 weeks	18%

Can I choose where I have my Echo?

For a planned, non-urgent diagnostic test you often can. In England you have a legal right, when your GP refers you, to ask to be seen at a different hospital — including one with a shorter wait. Most people are never told this and go to their nearest by default.

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 July 2026. Each figure is the trust'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 Echocardiogram?: There is no single national wait — it depends on which hospital you are sent to. Echo waits vary between NHS trusts, sometimes several-fold, so the useful thing is to compare your own area. The table above ranks every English NHS trust that reports Echo, shortest median wait first, from NHS England's DM01 diagnostic figures.
Can I choose which hospital does my Echocardiogram?: For a planned, non-urgent test, often yes. In England you have a legal right, when your GP refers you, to ask to be seen at a hospital with a shorter wait — the NHS Right to Choose. 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 Echocardiogram?: 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.

Compare other NHS scans and tests

All NHS diagnostic waiting times

See also our guide to NHS cardiology waiting times.