Royal Free London (RFL) has updated its imaging appointments and reporting waiting times.

Primary care colleagues can expect to receive appointment bookings and reports within the timeframes outlined below.

Appointment waiting times for ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

• Routine referrals: approximately 42 days
• Suspected cancer referrals: approximately 7-10 days

Please note that RFL is experiencing a high volume of US referrals. As a result, the waiting period for US appointments has extended to up to eight weeks.

RFL sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused and wants to assure you that efforts are underway to reduce these delays.

To help prevent further delays, please ensure all non-obstetric US referrals adhere to the British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS) guidelines. Referrals not meeting these guidelines may be returned, potentially leading to delays in patient care.

Diagnostic reporting turnaround times

• Inpatients and emergency department (ED): 24 hours
• Suspected cancer referrals: seven days
• Urgent outpatient referrals: seven days
• Routine referrals: 14 days

RFL adheres to the national standards recommended by NHS England and Royal College of Radiologists for diagnostic imaging reporting.

Most US examination reports are completed on the same day as the scan, with rare exceptions for cases requiring a second review.