A survey of patient preferences regarding out-patient appointment times was carried out in the C.T. Scanning unit at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh and the acceptability of receiving an evening appointment was assessed. Two hundred and eleven patients were questioned. One hundred and eighty-nine (90%) expressed satisfaction with their appointment. Fifty-nine (29%) preferred a morning appointment, forty (20%) an afternoon appointment but eighty-four (42%) expressed no preference. Forty-two patients (20%) expressed a wish to have an evening appointment, the most popular time being between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm. If an evening appointment were given, 78% said they would accept it. Patients gave family, social and transport reasons for not preferring an evening appointment.