Service turnaround times

Update September 2023: due to the Epic upgrade, the Cambridge Genomics Laboratory is still experiencing delays in obtaining current turnaround times for all tests.

Thank you for your patience during this time.

We are working to provide accurate TATs and will keep this page updated as information becomes available.

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 cuh.geneticslaboratories@nhs.net

We are responding to user feedback asking for current figures to be reported in a format to ensure maximum usefulness; we therefore hope to include median and range values shortly. Please do get in contact if you have any further feedback.

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.

Pre-Rep and Cytogenomics Average TAT
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 N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent - Rapid	Example Tests Microarray / karyotypes for prenatal / urgent postnatal (e.g. neonatal referrals)	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent - Standard	Example Tests Haemato-oncology microarrays	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent - Standard	Example Tests Routine QF-PCR (for pregnancy loss samples)	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent - Standard	Example Tests Standard paediatric or fetal loss microarray	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent - Standard	Example Tests Postnatal karyotyping (e.g. fertility or familial microarray follow-up)	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent - Standard	Example Tests PWS/AS and Fragile X	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A

NB from June: 7 day category (CF IRT & EGB) removed (merged with 14 day TAT)

Rare Disease Paediatric, Endocrinology, Rare Disease and Neurology Average 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 N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent – Ultra Rapid	Example Tests DPYD	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 5	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent – Rapid	Example Tests PCR based tests for predictive testing	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
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 N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-Urgent – Complex standard	Example Tests Large gene panels (>10 genes), WES and WGS	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 84	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A

Haemato-oncology (Haem-Onc) Molecular Average TAT
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 N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent - Rapid	Example Tests T-cell Clonality B-cell Clonality	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent - Rapid	Example Tests Bone marrow Chimerism Peripheral blood chimerism Pre-transplant chimerism	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
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 N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent – Standard	Example Tests BCR-ABL diagnostic BCR-ABL quantitative c-KIT MYD88	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent - Standard	Example Tests NGS panels for haemato- oncology referrals (Haem-Onc NGS panels)	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A

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.

Haem-onc Cytogenomics Average TAT
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 N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Clinical Urgency Urgent	Example Tests Urgent haemato-oncology FISH	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 7	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Clinical Urgency Urgent - Rapid	Example Tests Urgent haemato-oncology karyotyping	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Clinical Urgency Non-urgent - Standard	Example Tests Standard haemato-oncology karyotyping (e.g.MDS)	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A

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

Solid Cancer Average TAT
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 N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent – Rapid	Example Tests NGS - targeted RNA	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent – Rapid	Example Tests NGS - expansive	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 21	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent - Rapid	Example Tests FISH for solid cancers	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Urgent – Rapid	Example Tests MGMT promoter methylation	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 14	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent Std	Example Tests MSI testing	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A
Non-urgent Std	Example Tests MLH1 promoter methylation	NHSE Target TAT (Days) 42	Percentage within Standard N/A	Average TAT (Mean, Days) N/A