Below are our Turn Around Times (TATS) for tests carried out at our main laboratory in Cambridge. These figures are updated towards the end of the month, for the previous month. Figures will be added from our laboratories in Nottingham and Leicester in due course.
The laboratories aim to report all genomic tests within the NHS England genomic test reporting time guidelines. Please note that reporting times will vary depending on the test type and referral type.
Results from tests requested through East GLH will be delivered by e-mail to a designated email address, which you will need to include on the request form. It is preferable for us if you use an nhs.net account and you are advised to use a departmental, rather than an individual, account if possible.
Patient information is only secure when sent via email from one nhs.net account to another nhs.net account. As such, when sending laboratory reports across networks, these will be encrypted.
If you have not sent in samples to us before for any particular test, please do make contact with the Laboratory in advance to make sure we have the capacity to process your request. Please email us on genetics.laboratories@nhs.net
Turn around times were last updated w/c 23 January 2023
Rare Disease turnaround times
The below times are just for our Cambridge Genomics Laboratory. We will be adding those for our local laboratories in Nottingham and Leicester soon.
| Clinical Urgency | Example Tests | NHSE Target TAT (Days) | Percentage within Standard | Average TAT (Mean, Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent – Ultra Rapid | Example Tests QF-PCR for rapid trisomy detection | NHSE Target TAT (Days) 3 | Percentage within Standard 93.2 | Average TAT (Mean, Days) 2.7 days |
| Urgent - Rapid | Example Tests Microarray / karyotypes for prenatal / urgent postnatal (e.g. neonatal referrals) | NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 | Percentage within Standard 90.0 | Average TAT (Mean, Days) 10.9 days |
| Non-urgent - Standard |
Example Tests
Haemato-oncology microarrays |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21 | Percentage within Standard 96.8 | Average TAT (Mean, Days) 13.7 days |
| Non-urgent - Standard | Example Tests Routine QF-PCR (for pregnancy loss samples) | NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 | Percentage within Standard 92.6 | Average TAT (Mean, Days) 9.8 days |
| Non-urgent - Standard | Example Tests Standard paediatric or fetal loss microarray | NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42 | Percentage within Standard 3.9 | Average TAT (Mean, Days) 85.7 days |
| Non-urgent - Standard | Example Tests Postnatal karyotyping (e.g. fertility or familial microarray follow-up) | NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42 | Percentage within Standard 7.4 | Average TAT (Mean, Days) 54.2 days |
| Non-urgent - Standard | Example Tests PWS/AS and Fragile X | NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42 | Percentage within Standard 40.0 | Average TAT (Mean, Days) 43.8 days |
NB from June: 7 day category (CF IRT & EGB) removed (merged with 14 day TAT)
| Clinical Urgency | Example Tests |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) |
Percentage within Standard |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent – Ultra Rapid |
Example Tests
PCR based tests where the result is needed urgently for prenatal diagnosis |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 3 |
Percentage within Standard 0% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 5 days |
| Urgent – Ultra Rapid | Example Tests DPYD |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 5 |
Percentage within Standard 91% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 3 days |
| Urgent – Rapid |
Example Tests
PCR based tests for predictive testing |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 |
Percentage within Standard 45% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 22 days |
| Non-Urgent – Standard | Example Tests Rare disease single gene screening, small panel testing (<10 genes), known familial variant testing & standard STR based analysis |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42 |
Percentage within Standard 41% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 72 days |
| Non-Urgent – Complex standard | Example Tests Large gene panels (>10 genes), WES and WGS |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 84 |
Percentage within Standard 11% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 314 days |
| Clinical Urgency |
Example Tests |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) |
Percentage within Standard |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent – Ultra Rapid |
Example Tests FLT3 TKD FLT3 ITD |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 7 |
Percentage within Standard 79% 84% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 4 days 4 days |
| Urgent - Rapid |
Example Tests T-cell Clonality B-cell Clonality |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 |
Percentage within Standard 94% 93% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 7 days 11 days |
| Urgent - Rapid |
Example Tests Bone marrow Chimerism Peripheral blood chimerism Pre-transplant chimerism |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 |
Percentage within Standard 70% (BM and PB) 61% (Pre-transplant) |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 15 days 12 days 13 days |
| Urgent – Rapid |
Example Tests JAK2V617F JAK2 exon 12 MPL exon 10 CALR exon 9 NPM1 exon 12 |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 |
Percentage within Standard 2% 30% 0% 23% 91% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 28 days 21 days 27 days 23 days 11 days |
| Non-urgent – Standard |
Example Tests BCR-ABL diagnostic BCR-ABL quantitative c-KIT MYD88 |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 |
Percentage within Standard 85% 26% 58% 57% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 11 days 17 days 13 days 12 days |
| Non-urgent - Standard |
Example Tests NGS panels for haemato- oncology referrals (Haem-Onc NGS panels) |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21 |
Percentage within Standard 4% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 43 days |
Please note that the Turnaround Times are defined from when the request and sample are received into the Genomics Laboratory performing the assay until final verification/authorisation. This does not include any external logistical aspects, for example transport time from originator or requesting service.
| Clinical Urgency | Example Tests |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) |
Percentage within Standard |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Urgency Urgent – Ultra Rapid | Example Tests Urgent haemato-oncology FISH (e.g. BCR/ABL1, PML/RARA) |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 3 |
Percentage within Standard 100% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 3 hours |
| Clinical Urgency Urgent | Example Tests Urgent haemato-oncology FISH |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 7 |
Percentage within Standard 96% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 2 days |
| Clinical Urgency Urgent - Rapid | Example Tests Urgent haemato-oncology karyotyping |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 |
Percentage within Standard 10% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 18 days |
| Clinical Urgency Non-urgent - Standard | Example Tests Standard haemato-oncology karyotyping (e.g.MDS) |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21 |
Percentage within Standard 7% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 24 days |
Cancer turnaround times
The below times are just for our Cambridge Genomics Laboratory. We will be adding those for our local laboratories in Nottingham and Leicester soon
| Clinical Urgency | Example Tests |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) |
Percentage within Standard |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Urgent – Rapid |
Example Tests NGS – targeted DNA |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21 |
Percentage within Standard 73% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 20 days |
|
Urgent – Rapid |
Example Tests NGS - targeted RNA |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21 |
Percentage within Standard 75% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 17 days |
|
Urgent – Rapid |
Example Tests NGS - expansive |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21 |
Percentage within Standard 40% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 26 days |
|
Urgent - Rapid |
Example Tests FISH for solid cancers |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 |
Percentage within Standard 70% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 12 days |
|
Urgent – Rapid |
Example Tests MGMT promoter methylation |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14 |
Percentage within Standard 56% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 14 days |
| Non-urgent Std | Example Tests MSI testing |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42 |
Percentage within Standard 100% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 14 days |
| Non-urgent Std | Example Tests MLH1 promoter methylation |
NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42 |
Percentage within Standard 100% |
Average TAT (Mean, Days) 20 days |