A gastroscopy is a camera examination of the stomach and upper digestive tract. At the end of June 2026, 67,307 people across England were on the waiting list for gastroscopy, and 30% had waited longer than the NHS’s six-week target — but where you live changes that wait dramatically, and private scans are available within days.
Where gastroscopy waits are longest
| NHS trust | People waiting | Waiting beyond 6 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Hampshire Hospitals | 1,546 | 75% |
| Oxford University Hospitals | 1,062 | 73% |
| Portsmouth Hospitals University | 670 | 71% |
| Northampton General Hospital | 597 | 69% |
| Kingston and Richmond | 572 | 68% |
| Barts Health | 2,577 | 66% |
| Mid and South Essex | 1,466 | 66% |
| Isle of Wight | 472 | 61% |
| University Hospitals Birmingham | 2,647 | 60% |
| Northern Lincolnshire and Goole | 1,151 | 57% |
| Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals | 676 | 55% |
| Nottingham University Hospitals | 1,427 | 54% |
A wait beyond six weeks for gastroscopy is counted as a breach of the NHS standard. In the trusts above, most patients had waited longer than that — which is exactly where going private saves the most time.
Skip the queue with private treatment
A long wait for gastroscopy is a wait for the answers a diagnosis brings. A self-pay gastroscopy costs around £2,155, and cover pays for treatment like it in full, usually within weeks. It will not pay for a condition you are already waiting on, so arrange it before a problem starts — compare cover, see if it is worth it, or get a free quote.
Frequently asked questions
What does going private cost for gastroscopy? Self-pay prices start around £2,155 at UK private hospitals. Private medical insurance covers diagnostic tests in full when you are referred, provided the problem is not one you already have.
Why do NHS gastroscopy waits vary so much? Capacity, staffing and demand differ by trust, so the wait for the same test can be a few days in one place and several months in another.
Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment (RTT) and Diagnostics (DM01) waiting-times statistics, June 2026; self-pay figures from UK private hospitals’ own published price lists. Waiting-list figures change monthly.