GeraClinic / Diagnostic Waiting Times Index / Flexi sigmoidoscopy
Flexi sigmoidoscopy β NHS waiting times (DM01)
A camera examination of the lower part of the large bowel. Gates a suspected-cancer diagnostic pathway
How long are NHS Flexi sigmoidoscopy diagnostic waits?
Flexi sigmoidoscopy is one of the 15 key diagnostic tests in NHS England's DM01 collection. A camera examination of the lower part of the large bowel. Lower-bowel cancer, polyps and inflammation, often as a targeted alternative to full colonoscopy. The operational standard is that fewer than 1% of patients should wait 6 weeks or more for a DM01 test β not met across diagnostics since November 2013. The current Flexi sigmoidoscopy figure publishes here once it has been extracted from the DM01 file and verified.
What it diagnoses
Lower-bowel cancer, polyps and inflammation, often as a targeted alternative to full colonoscopy.
Why the wait matters
Like colonoscopy, delays here slow the confirmation or exclusion of a lower-GI cancer.
Flexi sigmoidoscopy DM01 waiting figure
Figure loads from the DM01 file
The per-test Flexi sigmoidoscopy waiting figure (number and share waiting 6+ weeks) publishes here as soon as it has been extracted from the NHS England DM01 monthly file and checked against the source. Gera does not display a diagnostic number it has not verified β so no figure is shown until then.
Source file: NHS England DM01 "Monthly Diagnostics Web File" (provider-level CSV/Excel), e.g. Monthly-Diagnostics-Web-File-Provider-<MONTH>-<YEAR>.xls, from the Diagnostics Waiting Times and Activity statistical work area.
How the index and the 6-week standard work (methodology) β
Flexi sigmoidoscopy: FAQs
- What is Flexi sigmoidoscopy and what does it diagnose?
- A camera examination of the lower part of the large bowel. Lower-bowel cancer, polyps and inflammation, often as a targeted alternative to full colonoscopy.
- What is the NHS waiting-time standard for Flexi sigmoidoscopy?
- Flexi sigmoidoscopy is one of the 15 key diagnostic tests in NHS England's DM01 collection. The operational standard for all DM01 tests is that fewer than 1% of patients should wait 6 weeks or more β a standard not met across diagnostics as a whole since November 2013.
- Does a Flexi sigmoidoscopy backlog affect other waits?
- Like colonoscopy, delays here slow the confirmation or exclusion of a lower-GI cancer.
- How does Flexi sigmoidoscopy relate to cancer waiting times?
- Flexi sigmoidoscopy is one of the 6 DM01 tests that gate a suspected-cancer diagnostic pathway. A wait for the test pushes back the point at which a cancer is confirmed or ruled out, which feeds into the cancer 62-day and 28-day faster-diagnosis standards.
- What is the current Flexi sigmoidoscopy waiting figure?
- The per-test Flexi sigmoidoscopy waiting figure publishes here as soon as it has been extracted from the NHS England DM01 monthly file and checked. Gera does not display a diagnostic number it has not verified against the source, so no figure is shown until then.
Waiting a long time for Flexi sigmoidoscopy?
NHS Flexi sigmoidoscopy waits can run well beyond the 6-week standard. Many people use a private online consultation to discuss symptoms, understand whether an investigation is appropriate, or get a referral while they wait. GeraClinic connects you with a UK-registered doctor by video β a private service, not part of or affiliated with the NHS. For a medical emergency always call 999 or go to A&E.
Other endoscopy tests
Source
This page draws on the real NHS England DM01 Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity release. Test descriptions are factual; any waiting figure shown is verified against the DM01 source, and figures not yet extracted are shown as such rather than estimated.
Contains public sector information published by NHS England and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS England β 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 β derived from NHS England DM01 open data (January 2026, published 3 July 2026).