When do NHS hospitals tell people to stop eating solid food before a colonoscopy? It varies a lot. This page is part of my series on NHS colonoscopy preparation instructions.
Is stopping food earlier really necessary? A UK survey found no clear link between longer fasting and better bowel cleansing. A randomised trial found that patients allowed a low-fibre dinner before taking their laxatives had the same bowel-cleansing success rate as those who stopped eating earlier.
I’ve found 157 published instructions and variations from 67 NHS organisations. Some are older or cover particular medicines or procedures, so they may not reflect what patients are currently told.
Published instructions by appointment time
Instructions that apply to both morning and afternoon appointments appear in both lists, but count only once towards the 157. Times are for the day before the procedure unless stated otherwise.
Morning appointments (83 entries)
Two days before colonoscopy
- NHS Forth Valley: Morning Plenvu/Moviprep: 10pm two days before (the linked page’s indexed version gives this time)
No solid food throughout the previous day (no exact hour)
- Calderdale and Huddersfield: Morning Moviprep: no solid food during the previous day (no clock time specified)
Day before, exact time not specified
- NHS Lothian: Moviprep; day before, no clock time given
- NHS Lothian: Picolax; day before, no clock time given
1am the day before
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: Morning; Picolax PL543 (also used for flexible sigmoidoscopy)
7am the day before
- Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals: Morning Moviprep
- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Morning Plenvu
8am the day before
- Aneurin Bevan University Health Board: Morning colonoscopy; Plenvu
- Cambridge University Hospitals: Morning Plenvu
- Gloucestershire Hospitals: Morning appointments, Moviprep
- Gloucestershire Hospitals: Standard morning combined gastroscopy + colonoscopy, Picolax+Moviprep (combined gastroscopy and colonoscopy)
- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Morning Picolax
- NHS Dumfries and Galloway: Morning Moviprep
- NHS Dumfries and Galloway: Morning Picolax
- Royal Berkshire: Morning appointments, Plenvu
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust: Morning colonoscopy; two-sachet Picolax (leaflet reviewed 2024; review overdue)
- Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust: Morning appointments; Moviprep
- University College London Hospitals: Morning colonoscopy, sodium picosulfate + magnesium citrate
- University College London Hospitals: Morning Plenvu
9am the day before
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: Morning; Moviprep
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: Morning; Picolax PL1614
- Chesterfield Royal Hospital: Morning Moviprep
- Gloucestershire Hospitals: Morning appointments, Plenvu
- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Morning Moviprep
- King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Morning bowel cancer screening; Plenvu (bowel cancer screening)
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Morning combined gastroscopy and colonoscopy, Moviprep
- North Tees and Hartlepool: Morning Plenvu
- North Tees and Hartlepool: Morning; Moviprep
- Oxford University Hospitals: Morning Plenvu
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust: Morning Plenvu
- Royal Devon University Healthcare: Morning Moviprep, routine
- Royal Devon University Healthcare: Morning Plenvu, routine
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals: Morning Plenvu
- University Hospitals Birmingham: Standard Plenvu (morning or afternoon not differentiated)
- University Hospitals of North Midlands: Moviprep; both morning and afternoon tables
- Whittington Health: Morning Plenvu
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals: Morning Moviprep
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals: Morning Plenvu
10am the day before
- Isle of Wight NHS Trust: Morning colonoscopy; Klean-Prep
- NHS Lothian: Klean-Prep; morning appointment
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust: Morning Klean-Prep
- Royal United Hospitals Bath: Morning Plenvu
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire: General standard colonoscopy booklet (AM and PM appointments)
11am the day before
- University Hospitals Dorset: Morning Plenvu
12 noon the day before
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals: Morning Picolax + Bisacodyl
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board: Morning Moviprep: midday
- Dorset County Hospital: Morning; Picolax
- Kingston and Richmond: Morning endoscopy (colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy); Picolax + senna
- St Mark’s Bowel Cancer Screening Centre: Moviprep morning; morning appointment
- St Mark’s Bowel Cancer Screening Centre: Plenvu morning; morning appointment
- St Mark’s Bowel Cancer Screening Centre: Senna with Citramag/Picolax; morning appointment
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay: Morning and afternoon; Senna with Picolax (both appointments)
- Whittington Health: Morning Picolax; no solid after lunch
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals: Morning; senna/CitraFleet
1pm the day before
- Airedale NHS Foundation Trust: Morning appointments, Klean-Prep
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals: Morning appointments, Plenvu
- East Sussex Healthcare: Morning; Plenvu, morning appointment (direct linked PDF)
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Morning Moviprep (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Morning Plenvu (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Kingston and Richmond: Morning Plenvu
- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust: Morning Moviprep (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust: Morning Plenvu (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Nottingham University Hospitals: Moviprep / Klean-Prep / Plenvu / Picolax; appointments before 6pm
- The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust: Morning Moviprep
- The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital: Morning Plenvu
1.30pm the day before
- United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals: Morning Picolax / CitraFleet / Plenvu / Moviprep
2pm the day before
- NHS Lothian: Plenvu; morning appointment
3pm the day before
- Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust: Morning and afternoon colonoscopy; Moviprep (2024 leaflet; review overdue)
- Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust: Morning Plenvu
- Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Morning Plenvu (2020 NHS-linked manufacturer timetable)
- The Christie: Morning and afternoon Plenvu
- The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust: Morning and afternoon appointments; Plenvu
- The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust: Morning Plenvu
After a meal, without a fixed time
- East and North Hertfordshire Teaching: Morning Plenvu; After breakfast (no time given)
- Frimley Health: Citramag; appointments before 2pm; After light lunch (no clock time)
- Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Morning colonoscopy; Plenvu; After breakfast, 7–8am meal
- NHS Forth Valley: Morning Picolax: after breakfast, with a worked example of 7am
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals: Morning Klean Prep; After lunch, by 1pm
- North Cumbria Integrated Care: Morning Moviprep; After light breakfast (no time stated)
- North Tees and Hartlepool: Morning Klean-Prep: after breakfast scheduled between 8am and noon
- West Suffolk: Morning Plenvu; After breakfast (no time given)
Relative to the appointment or preparation
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital: Morning appointments: light low-fibre breakfast, then clear fluids; At least 24 hours before procedure
- University Hospitals of Leicester: Colonoscopy: when the patient’s bowel-preparation solution begins the day before
Afternoon appointments (71 entries)
Day before, exact time not specified
- NHS Lothian: Moviprep; day before, no clock time given
- NHS Lothian: Picolax; day before, no clock time given
9am the day before
- University Hospitals Birmingham: Standard Plenvu (morning or afternoon not differentiated)
- University Hospitals of North Midlands: Moviprep; both morning and afternoon tables
10am the day before
- Calderdale and Huddersfield: Afternoon Plenvu
- NHS Lothian: Klean-Prep; afternoon appointment
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire: General standard colonoscopy booklet (AM and PM appointments)
12 noon the day before
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: Afternoon; Picolax PL1614
- Cambridge University Hospitals: Afternoon; Plenvu
- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust: Afternoon appointment; Plenvu
- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Afternoon Plenvu
- NHS Forth Valley: Afternoon Plenvu
- St Mark’s Bowel Cancer Screening Centre: Moviprep afternoon; afternoon appointment
- St Mark’s Bowel Cancer Screening Centre: Plenvu afternoon; afternoon appointment
- St Mark’s Bowel Cancer Screening Centre: Senna with Citramag/Picolax; afternoon appointment
- University Hospitals Birmingham: Afternoon colonoscopy; Moviprep (leaflet review overdue)
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay: Morning and afternoon; Senna with Picolax (both appointments)
1pm the day before
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: Afternoon; Moviprep
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: Afternoon; Picolax PL543 (also used for flexible sigmoidoscopy)
- Chesterfield Royal Hospital: Afternoon Moviprep
- East Sussex Healthcare: Afternoon; Plenvu, afternoon appointment (direct linked PDF)
- Gloucestershire Hospitals: Afternoon appointments, Plenvu
- Gloucestershire Hospitals: Standard afternoon gastroscopy + colonoscopy, Picolax day before + Moviprep procedure morning (combined gastroscopy and colonoscopy)
- Liverpool University Hospitals: Afternoon Moviprep
- NHS Dumfries and Galloway: Afternoon Moviprep
- NHS Dumfries and Galloway: Afternoon Picolax
- North Cumbria Integrated Care: Afternoon Moviprep
- North Tees and Hartlepool: Afternoon Plenvu
- North Tees and Hartlepool: Afternoon; Moviprep
- Nottingham University Hospitals: Moviprep / Klean-Prep / Plenvu / Picolax; appointments before 6pm
- Oxford University Hospitals: Afternoon Plenvu
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust: Afternoon Plenvu
- Royal Devon University Healthcare: Afternoon appointments, Plenvu
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust: Afternoon colonoscopy; two-sachet Picolax (leaflet reviewed 2024; review overdue)
- Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust: Afternoon appointments; Moviprep
2pm the day before
- NHS Lothian: Plenvu; afternoon appointment
- Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust: Afternoon Klean-Prep
- Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals: Afternoon Plenvu
- University College London Hospitals: Afternoon colonoscopy, sodium picosulfate + magnesium citrate
- University College London Hospitals: Afternoon; Plenvu (Easy Read)
- University Hospital Southampton: Afternoon Moviprep
- West Suffolk: Afternoon Plenvu
3pm the day before
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals: Afternoon Plenvu
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals: Afternoon appointments, Plenvu
- Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust: Morning and afternoon colonoscopy; Moviprep (2024 leaflet; review overdue)
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board: Afternoon Moviprep: 3pm
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Afternoon Moviprep (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Afternoon Plenvu (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Kingston and Richmond: Afternoon endoscopy (colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy); Picolax + senna
- Kingston and Richmond: Afternoon Plenvu
- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust: Afternoon Moviprep (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust: Afternoon Plenvu (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Royal Berkshire: Afternoon appointments, Plenvu
- The Christie: Morning and afternoon Plenvu
- The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust: Morning and afternoon appointments; Plenvu
- The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust: Afternoon Moviprep
- The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust: Afternoon Plenvu
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals: Afternoon Moviprep
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals: Afternoon Plenvu
4pm the day before
- Airedale NHS Foundation Trust: Afternoon appointments, Klean-Prep
- United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals: Afternoon Picolax / CitraFleet / Plenvu / Moviprep
- Whittington Health: Afternoon Picolax
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals: Afternoon; senna/CitraFleet
After a meal, without a fixed time
- Aneurin Bevan University Health Board: Afternoon appointment; Plenvu; Morning of preceding day (no time given)
- Frimley Health: Citramag; appointments before 2pm; After light lunch (no clock time)
- Frimley Health: Citramag; appointments from 2pm onwards; After light evening meal (no clock time)
- NHS Forth Valley: Afternoon Picolax: after lunch, with a worked example of noon
- North Tees and Hartlepool: Afternoon Klean-Prep: after lunch scheduled between noon and 2pm
- Royal Devon University Healthcare: Afternoon Moviprep; After a light lunch (time not stated)
Relative to the appointment or preparation
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital: Afternoon/evening appointments: light low-fibre breakfast and lunch, then clear fluids; At least 24 hours before procedure
- University Hospitals of Leicester: Colonoscopy: when the patient’s bowel-preparation solution begins the day before
Evening appointments (8 entries)
9pm the day before
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Evening Moviprep, same-day doses (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust: Evening Plenvu, same-day doses (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust: Evening Moviprep (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust: Evening Plenvu (NHS-hosted manufacturer timetable)
- Nottingham University Hospitals: Moviprep or Plenvu; evening appointment after 6pm; standard evening appointment
- Sherwood Forest Hospitals: Evening appointments, Plenvu
After a meal, without a fixed time
- Frimley Health: Citramag; appointments from 2pm onwards; After light evening meal (no clock time)
Relative to the appointment or preparation
- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital: Afternoon/evening appointments: light low-fibre breakfast and lunch, then clear fluids; At least 24 hours before procedure
Appointment time not stated (12 entries)
Two days before colonoscopy
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust: Salford Royal Picolax
- Royal Devon University Healthcare: Picolax with senna: 2pm two days before (also covers flexible sigmoidoscopy)
8am the day before
- Imperial College Healthcare: Low-residue diet leaflet, general
- The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust: Routine colonoscopy, Picolax v6
9am the day before
- Barts Health: General bowel-preparation guidance
- Guy’s and St Thomas’: Routine leaflet; Routine preparation; multiple products
- University Hospitals Birmingham: Moviprep, colonoscopy (not Plenvu)
10am the day before
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust: Colonoscopy; Klean-Prep (leaflet reviewed 2024; review overdue)
1pm the day before
- Royal Free London: General colonoscopy leaflet; routine bowel preparation
2pm the day before
- North Tees and Hartlepool: General Picolax/Senokot colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy (also used for flexible sigmoidoscopy)
After a meal, without a fixed time
- The Royal Marsden: Citramag and senna; After breakfast (breakfast scheduled at 7am)
7pm the day before
- St Mark’s Bowel Cancer Screening Centre: Plenvu same-day preparation; appointment time not specified
Sources checked 9 November 2026. Published documents may change or be withdrawn. See also the companion list of low-fibre diet start dates.