A&E waiting times in England

A&E waiting times refer to how long patients typically wait to be seen and treated in NHS accident and emergency departments. Waiting times vary across England and depend on local demand, hospital capacity, staffing levels and overall pressures on emergency services.

This page provides independent, factual information about NHS A&E waiting times in England. It explains how A&E waiting time performance is measured, typical waiting time ranges, and why waiting times differ between hospitals and areas.

What is A&E and emergency care?

Accident and emergency (A&E) departments provide urgent and emergency care for serious or life-threatening conditions. NHS emergency care services include different types of emergency departments, as well as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.

A&E departments are designed to prioritise patients based on clinical urgency rather than order of arrival. This means waiting times can vary depending on the severity of a patient's condition and overall demand at the department.

This website does not provide medical advice. If you require urgent medical assistance, you should contact emergency services or seek immediate care.

How NHS A&E waiting times are measured

NHS A&E waiting times are measured using nationally published performance standards. The most widely reported standard is the four-hour A&E standard, which measures the proportion of patients who are admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival.

Published NHS data typically reports:

• The percentage of patients seen within four hours
• The number of patients waiting longer than four hours
• Overall emergency department performance over a reporting period

These figures are published regularly and reflect performance over time, not live queue lengths.

Typical NHS A&E waiting times

Published NHS emergency care data shows that A&E waiting times vary significantly between hospitals and regions.

In many areas:

• A proportion of patients are seen within four hours, in line with national reporting standards
• Some patients experience longer waits during periods of high demand
• Performance can fluctuate due to seasonal pressures, staffing levels and hospital capacity

Actual waiting times for individuals vary depending on clinical urgency and local circumstances.

Why A&E waiting times vary by hospital and area

A&E waiting times differ across England due to factors such as:

• Local population demand
• Hospital bed availability
• Staffing levels
• Seasonal pressures and emergency surges

Because emergency services are delivered locally by NHS trusts, performance can vary widely between hospitals, towns and regions.

A&E waiting times by town, hospital and area

A&E waiting times are not the same everywhere. Different hospitals and NHS trusts may report very different emergency department performance.

This website provides town- and hospital-specific pages showing estimated A&E waiting time performance based on published NHS data, helping users understand how emergency care performance varies across England.

Browse A&E waiting times by county and town

Select a county to view available towns. Town pages include published diagnostics data and service guidance.

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