The NHS DVT Waiting Time Crisis
Data obtained via Freedom of Information requests reveals how long patients wait for DVT diagnosis across NHS Trusts. Every undiagnosed DVT risks pulmonary embolism — a potentially fatal complication.
Note: Some discrepancies exist due to inconsistent data provided by NHS Trusts in response to FOI requests. We report the data as provided by each NHS Trust.
Worst recorded
38.7 days
North East NHS Trust (A)
Average wait time
3.3 days
79 hours average
Annual DVT scans
307.7k
across 162 trusts
Trusts ≥ 24h wait
64
of 162 total
Within 4h target
2
meeting best-practice
Where are patients waiting the longest?
85 of 162 trusts provided waiting time band breakdowns, covering 250,485 of 307,678 total scans.
Patient wait time distribution
Within 4 hours
90,581 (36.2%)
4–24 hours
61,252 (24.5%)
24–48 hours
35,855 (14.3%)
Over 48 hours
62,435 (24.9%)
15 longest average waits by region
NHS Trust Waiting Times
FOI responses only · January 2025
| Trust Name | Average DVT Wait Time | Distribution | Annual Scan Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East NHS Trust (A) | 38.7 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 2,195 scans/yr |
| East of England NHS Trust (A) | 28 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 1,677 scans/yr |
| West Midlands NHS Trust (A) | 12.5 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 1,932 scans/yr |
| Dumfries & Galloway NHS Trust | 11 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 1,342 scans/yr |
| Greater Manchester NHS Trust (A) | 7.4 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 12,914 scans/yr |
| East of England NHS Trust (B) | 7.2 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 6,491 scans/yr |
| Cornwall NHS Trust | 6.7 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 2,681 scans/yr |
| Gloucestershire & Wiltshire NHS Trust (A) | 6.4 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 5,194 scans/yr |
| Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Trust (A) | 5.9 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 4,442 scans/yr |
| Kent & Medway NHS Trust (A) | 5 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 2,067 scans/yr |
| Greater Manchester NHS Trust (B) | 5 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 547 scans/yr |
| Ayrshire NHS Trust | 5 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 2,177 scans/yr |
| Greater Manchester NHS Trust (C) | 4.1 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 433 scans/yr |
| South Yorkshire NHS Trust | 4.1 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 433 scans/yr |
| Yorkshire NHS Trust (A) | 4 days | Over 24h ⚠️ | 1,719 scans/yr |
ThinkSono Guidance
ThinkSono Guidance enables any healthcare professional — not just radiologists — to perform a DVT ultrasound scan at the point of care, guided by AI in real time.