How long is the NHS wait for Flexible sigmoidoscopy?

There is no single national wait — it depends on which hospital you are sent to. Flexi sig 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 Flexi sig to NHS England, shortest median wait first, from NHS England's DM01 diagnostic figures.

Can I choose which hospital does my Flexible sigmoidoscopy?

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 Flexible sigmoidoscopy?

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 Flexible sigmoidoscopy waiting times

Also called: flexi sig, lower bowel camera.

A flexible sigmoidoscopy uses a thin flexible camera to look at the lower part of the large bowel (the rectum and sigmoid colon). It is a shorter test than a full colonoscopy. It is used to investigate rectal bleeding, changes in bowel habit affecting the lower bowel, and to assess known conditions there. 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 Flexi sig 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 weeks

median across 159 NHS trusts and independent providers

Fastest hospital

under 1 week

shortest published median

Hospitals compared

159

120 NHS trusts and 39 independent providers reporting Flexi sig

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

Can I choose where I have my Flexi sig?

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 Flexible sigmoidoscopy?: There is no single national wait — it depends on which hospital you are sent to. Flexi sig 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 Flexi sig to NHS England, shortest median wait first, from NHS England's DM01 diagnostic figures.
Can I choose which hospital does my Flexible sigmoidoscopy?: 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 Flexible sigmoidoscopy?: 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 gastroenterology waiting times.