What is the Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index?

The Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index (GDWTI) is a single 0–100 score for how long patients wait for an NHS diagnostic test in England, where higher means longer waits. It is anchored to the official DM01 standard — the share of the diagnostic waiting list waiting 6 weeks or more. For January 2026 the national index is 62.5 / 100, because 447,068 patients (about 25.0%, one in four) had waited 6+ weeks. The full formula is on the methodology page.

How is the index calculated?

GDWTI expresses the published DM01 "% waiting 6+ weeks" as a 0–100 score against a single disclosed reference ceiling of 40% (the level at which the index reaches 100). GDWTI = min(100, share ÷ 40 × 100), rounded to one decimal place. Every input is the real published NHS figure; only the scaling is Gera's, and it is fully disclosed.

What is the 6-week diagnostic standard?

The NHS operational standard is that fewer than 1% of patients should wait 6 weeks or more for one of the 15 key diagnostic tests. That standard has not been met since November 2013. The index is scored against a higher crisis ceiling of 40% so that ordinary month-to-month movement is visible on the 0–100 scale.

Which diagnostic tests does DM01 cover?

DM01 covers 15 key diagnostic tests and procedures across three groups: imaging (MRI, CT, non-obstetric ultrasound, barium enema, DEXA), physiological measurement (audiology, echocardiography, electrophysiology, peripheral neurophysiology, sleep studies, urodynamics) and endoscopy (colonoscopy, flexi sigmoidoscopy, cystoscopy, gastroscopy). 6 of them gate a suspected-cancer diagnostic pathway.

Why do diagnostic waits matter for cancer waits?

Diagnostic tests are the step where a cancer is confirmed or ruled out. A backlog in CT, MRI, colonoscopy, gastroscopy, cystoscopy or flexi sigmoidoscopy pushes back the point of diagnosis, which feeds directly into the cancer 62-day and 28-day faster-diagnosis standards. That is why the diagnostic backlog is treated as the second-order driver of cancer waits.

Do you publish a figure for every test and every trust?

The national 6+ week figure is populated from the real DM01 release and verified. Per-test-type and 13-week breakdowns are published in the DM01 monthly file; each is shipped in a clearly-labelled "awaiting extraction" state until it has been pulled from the source file and checked. Gera does not display a diagnostic figure it has not verified — no number is estimated.

Is a higher score good or bad?

Higher is worse: a higher Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index means a larger share of patients waiting 6+ weeks for their test. A score near 0 would mean the service is close to the 1% operational standard.

How often is the index updated?

NHS England publishes DM01 diagnostic waiting-time data monthly. Gera recomputes the index on each release. The national figure here is for January 2026 and was last recompiled on 3 July 2026.

What does the index NOT show?

It covers England only and the 15 DM01 tests only — not every investigation the NHS does, not treatment waits after a diagnosis, and not your personal wait on any given day. The 6-week benchmark is an accountability standard, not a clinical-urgency threshold: an urgent case is prioritised regardless of the list. This page is information, not medical advice.

GeraClinic / Diagnostic Waiting Times Index

The Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index

One number for how long NHS diagnostic-test waits are. The Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index is a 0–100 score over the real NHS England DM01 Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity release, where higher means longer waits. For January 2026 it stands at 62.5 / 100 for England — 447,068 patients (about 25.0%, one in four) waited 6+ weeks for a key test, against an NHS standard of under 1%.

Reference period: January 2026· updated monthly on the NHS DM01 release · Open Government Licence v3.0 · England · 15 key diagnostic tests

How long are NHS diagnostic-test waits in England right now?

As of January 2026, the Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index stands at 62.5 / 100 for England (higher = longer waits). 447,068 patients — about 25.0%, one in four of the roughly 1,788,272 on the diagnostic waiting list — had waited 6 weeks or more for one of the 15 key diagnostic tests, against an NHS standard that fewer than 1% should. The index is computed from NHS England's DM01 statistics and recomputed on each monthly release.

Source:NHS England — Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01)·as of January 2026updated monthly (last: 3 July 2026)

Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index62.5 / 100England, January 2026 — high waiting (higher = longer waits)How this index is calculated

The index expresses the published DM01 share of the diagnostic waiting list waiting 6+ weeks as a 0–100 score against a disclosed 40% reference ceiling. Every figure is the real published NHS number; only the scaling is Gera’s, and it is set out in full in the methodology.

Index (England)

62.5 / 100

high waiting

Waiting 6+ weeks

447,068

about 25.0% of the list

6-week standard

under 1%

last met November 2013

Tests covered

6 gate a cancer pathway

The 15 key diagnostic tests (DM01)

DM01 tracks 15 key diagnostic tests and procedures across imaging, physiological measurement and endoscopy. 6 of them gate a suspected-cancer diagnostic pathway — a backlog in those tests feeds directly into the cancer 62-day and 28-day standards. Open any test for what it is, what it diagnoses and its DM01 waiting figure.

DM01 key diagnostic tests — category and cancer-pathway role (January 2026)
Test	Category	Gates a cancer pathway	% waiting 6+ weeks
MRI	Imaging	Yes	Loads from DM01 file
CT	Imaging	Yes	Loads from DM01 file
Ultrasound	Imaging	—	Loads from DM01 file
Barium enema	Imaging	—	Loads from DM01 file
DEXA	Imaging	—	Loads from DM01 file
Audiology	Physiological measurement	—	Loads from DM01 file
Echocardiography	Physiological measurement	—	Loads from DM01 file
Electrophysiology	Physiological measurement	—	Loads from DM01 file
Neurophysiology	Physiological measurement	—	Loads from DM01 file
Sleep studies	Physiological measurement	—	Loads from DM01 file
Urodynamics	Physiological measurement	—	Loads from DM01 file
Colonoscopy	Endoscopy	Yes	Loads from DM01 file
Flexi sigmoidoscopy	Endoscopy	Yes	Loads from DM01 file
Cystoscopy	Endoscopy	Yes	Loads from DM01 file
Gastroscopy	Endoscopy	Yes	Loads from DM01 file

“Loads from DM01 file” marks a per-test figure that publishes as soon as it is extracted from the NHS England DM01 monthly file and checked — Gera does not display a diagnostic number it has not verified.

Imaging

Physiological measurement

Endoscopy

How the index is built (methodology) →

Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index: FAQs

What is the Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index?: The Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index (GDWTI) is a single 0–100 score for how long patients wait for an NHS diagnostic test in England, where higher means longer waits. It is anchored to the official DM01 standard — the share of the diagnostic waiting list waiting 6 weeks or more. For January 2026 the national index is 62.5 / 100, because 447,068 patients (about 25.0%, one in four) had waited 6+ weeks. The full formula is on the methodology page.
How is the index calculated?: GDWTI expresses the published DM01 "% waiting 6+ weeks" as a 0–100 score against a single disclosed reference ceiling of 40% (the level at which the index reaches 100). GDWTI = min(100, share ÷ 40 × 100), rounded to one decimal place. Every input is the real published NHS figure; only the scaling is Gera's, and it is fully disclosed.
What does the index say right now?: For January 2026, the national Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index is 62.5 / 100. 447,068 patients — about 25.0%, or one in four of the roughly 1,788,272 on the diagnostic waiting list — had waited 6 weeks or more, against an NHS standard that fewer than 1% should. (Source: NHS England DM01.)
What is the 6-week diagnostic standard?: The NHS operational standard is that fewer than 1% of patients should wait 6 weeks or more for one of the 15 key diagnostic tests. That standard has not been met since November 2013. The index is scored against a higher crisis ceiling of 40% so that ordinary month-to-month movement is visible on the 0–100 scale.
Which diagnostic tests does DM01 cover?: DM01 covers 15 key diagnostic tests and procedures across three groups: imaging (MRI, CT, non-obstetric ultrasound, barium enema, DEXA), physiological measurement (audiology, echocardiography, electrophysiology, peripheral neurophysiology, sleep studies, urodynamics) and endoscopy (colonoscopy, flexi sigmoidoscopy, cystoscopy, gastroscopy). 6 of them gate a suspected-cancer diagnostic pathway.
Why do diagnostic waits matter for cancer waits?: Diagnostic tests are the step where a cancer is confirmed or ruled out. A backlog in CT, MRI, colonoscopy, gastroscopy, cystoscopy or flexi sigmoidoscopy pushes back the point of diagnosis, which feeds directly into the cancer 62-day and 28-day faster-diagnosis standards. That is why the diagnostic backlog is treated as the second-order driver of cancer waits.
Do you publish a figure for every test and every trust?: The national 6+ week figure is populated from the real DM01 release and verified. Per-test-type and 13-week breakdowns are published in the DM01 monthly file; each is shipped in a clearly-labelled "awaiting extraction" state until it has been pulled from the source file and checked. Gera does not display a diagnostic figure it has not verified — no number is estimated.
Is a higher score good or bad?: Higher is worse: a higher Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index means a larger share of patients waiting 6+ weeks for their test. A score near 0 would mean the service is close to the 1% operational standard.
How often is the index updated?: NHS England publishes DM01 diagnostic waiting-time data monthly. Gera recomputes the index on each release. The national figure here is for January 2026 and was last recompiled on 3 July 2026.
What does the index NOT show?: It covers England only and the 15 DM01 tests only — not every investigation the NHS does, not treatment waits after a diagnosis, and not your personal wait on any given day. The 6-week benchmark is an accountability standard, not a clinical-urgency threshold: an urgent case is prioritised regardless of the list. This page is information, not medical advice.

Facing a long wait for a diagnostic test?

With a national Diagnostic Waiting Times Index of 62.5 / 100 and about 25.0% of patients waiting 6+ weeks, many people use a private online consultation to discuss symptoms, request appropriate investigations or get a referral while they wait. GeraClinic connects you with a UK-registered doctor by video — a private service, not part of or affiliated with the NHS. For a medical emergency always call 999 or go to A&E.

See a GeraClinic doctor today How online consultations work

Related NHS data

Source

The Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index is computed only from the real NHS England DM01 release below. The national figure is verified against that release; per-test and 13-week cuts publish as they are extracted from the DM01 source file. The index (the scaling) is the Gera contribution and is fully specified on the methodology page; no value is invented.

Contains public sector information published by NHS England and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS England — Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01) (January 2026, published March 2026).

Contains public sector information published by Gera Systems and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (source data). Source: Gera Diagnostic Waiting Times Index — derived from NHS England DM01 open data (January 2026, published 3 July 2026).