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 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 Echo to NHS England, 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, 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 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 hospitals is large. Below, the NHS trusts and independent providers reporting Echo 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 136 NHS trusts and independent providers

Fastest hospital

under 1 week

shortest published median

Hospitals compared

136

126 NHS trusts and 10 independent providers 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. Hospitals with very few patients waiting are excluded so a median is meaningful.

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

Can I choose where I have my Echo?

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 Echocardiogram?: There is no single national wait — it depends on which hospital you are sent to. Echo 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 Echo to NHS England, 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, 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 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.