Northern Ireland diagnostics data for Quarter ending June 2026, published 3 September 2026
NHS waiting times in Belfast
Waits near Belfast at a glance
A&E wait – Royal Victoria Hospital NOT LIVE
2 h 35 min
median time people in the department had waited to be seen by a clinician at Royal Victoria Hospital.
Snapshot of the source’s figure from 7:30am Sun 1 Nov 2026 (GMT) · nidirect, Open Government Licence v3.0
Mater Hospital3 h 44 min
Royal Children’s Hospital37 min
Sicker patients are always seen first, so your wait may be longer or shorter. Not an emergency? Contact your GP, or check whether your local unit asks you to Phone First.
Belfast is in Northern Ireland, where hospital services are run by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. This page shows the latest published Northern Ireland figures for diagnostic tests for that trust.
These are Northern Ireland figures, not NHS England data. Health services in Northern Ireland are run separately and publish their own statistics, which use different definitions. Figures here come from the Department of Health (Northern Ireland) hospital waiting times statistics. Emergency department waiting times for Northern Ireland are published quarterly as a report; see the Department of Health link for the latest A&E figures.
Belfast: local hospitals and referrals
Local NHS organisation: Belfast is served by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, which runs its hospitals and decides where patients are referred.
Main emergency department: Royal Victoria Hospital.
Where to check your own referral: your GP or the hospital booking team at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust can tell you where you would be seen and your expected wait.
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust publishes current emergency department and urgent care waits through nidirect. These are shown below and refresh automatically. See all Northern Ireland hospitals on the live A&E waiting times page.
Live A&E waits: Belfast HSC Trust
If it's an emergency call 999. Waits are estimates from the hospital/health board; not medical advice.
Source: nidirect, figures supplied by the Health and Social Care Trusts. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Refreshed from the source at most every 10 minutes.
Scan and test waiting times in Belfast
Northern Ireland diagnostic figures are published quarterly by the Department of Health and count people waiting more than 6 weeks at the end of the quarter.
NHS England statistics cover hospitals in England only. Northern Ireland has its own targets and measures: for example, Northern Ireland publishes diagnostic waits quarterly, by health and social care trust. Comparisons between nations should be made with care. For England, see the England A&E league table.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for an MRI scan in Belfast?
70.7% of the 9,912 people waiting for an MRI at Belfast HSC Trust had waited more than 6 weeks (Quarter ending June 2026).
Who provides NHS hospital services in Belfast?
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. In Northern Ireland health services are run by health and social care trusts, not NHS England trusts.