A&E data for September 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Diagnostics (DM01) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Referral to treatment (RTT) data for August 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026
NHS waiting times in St Helens
Waits near St Helens at a glance
A&E – Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NOT LIVE
3 in 4 (73.3%)
of A&E attendances ended in admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours. At the main (type 1) A&E it was more than 6 in 10 (62.8%).
Official monthly figure for Sep 2026 · published 8 October 2026 · NHS England
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals does not publish live A&E waits, so this is the latest official monthly figure. Not sure you need A&E? Use NHS 111 online or call 111.
Short answer: St Helens is served mainly by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, in the NHS England North West region. In September 2026, 73.3% of A&E attendances at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust ended within 4 hours (admitted, transferred or discharged), against 74.4% across England and the 95% standard; at the end of August 2026, 86.2% of the 2,904 people waiting for an MRI scan there had waited under 6 weeks (England 78.0%); at the end of August 2026, 89.6% of the 1,544 people waiting for a CT scan there had waited under 6 weeks (England 88.8%); the median wait so far for planned hospital treatment was 12.1 weeks (England 12.2 weeks).
Source: NHS England A&E and diagnostics (DM01) and referral to treatment (RTT) statistics, published 8 October 2026. These are past figures, not a forecast of how long you will wait.
St Helens, Merseyside, is served mainly by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. This page brings together the latest published NHS England figures for A&E, scans and tests, and planned hospital treatment at that trust, with trends and comparisons against the North West region and England. To compare every trust side by side, use compare NHS trusts.
St Helens: local hospitals and referrals
Nearest hospital run by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals: St Helens Hospital (WA9 3DA), about 1 mile from central St Helens.
Nearest community diagnostic centre: St Helens CDC (L35 5DR), about 3 miles away. Source: NHS England CDC activity data, Aug 2026.
Integrated care board: NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB.
A&E waiting times in St Helens
73.3%of A&E attendances admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours (September 2026)
62.8%within 4 hours at the main (type 1) A&E
25,375A&E attendances in the month
439waited over 12 hours from the decision to admit (not from arrival)
In September 2026, 73.3% of the 25,375 A&E attendances at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust ended with the patient admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours. That is 1.1 percentage points below the England average of 74.4% and 1.5 percentage points above the North West average of 71.8%. It ranks 55 of 120 trusts with a major A&E in England and 6 of 18 in North West (ranked on the all-types 4-hour figure; 1 = highest share). At the main emergency department (type 1), 62.8% spent 4 hours or less, against 60.6% across England. 8,293 patients were admitted as emergencies through A&E, and 439 waited more than 12 hours from the decision to admit them to being admitted.
Over the last 13 months the 4-hour figure has ranged from 69.8% (December 2025) to 74.7% (March 2026); it is unchanged since September 2025.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals: % within 4 hours of arrival England
Full A&E page for St Helens: 13-month history, nearby A&E departments and what to do if it is not an emergency.
Scan and test waiting times in St Helens
Diagnostic waiting lists at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, end of August 2026
At the end of August 2026, 84,572 people were waiting to start consultant-led treatment at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Half had waited less than 12.1 weeks (England: 12.2 weeks) and 64.9% had waited under 18 weeks, 0.3 percentage points below the England figure of 65.2%. The NHS constitution standard is 92% within 18 weeks.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals: median RTT wait (weeks) England
ADHD and autism assessment waits in the local ICB area
ADHD: in June 2026 there were 36,815 open referrals that may be for an ADHD assessment in NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board. 17,480 (47.5%) had been open for a year or more, compared with 57.8% across England. 26,280 had no first contact recorded yet. ADHD waits by area.
Autism: in June 2026, 14,160 people had an open suspected autism referral in this ICB area, and 12,025 (84.9%) had been waiting at least 13 weeks (England 86.8%). Autism waits by area.
NHS England counts open referrals that may be for ADHD. It describes these figures as management information and experimental statistics, so they are approximate and depend on how services record referrals. See also mental health waiting times.
Nearby towns
A&E performance at the main trust for the nearest towns on this site.
The 4-hour A&E figure is the share of A&E attendances that ended with the patient admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours of arriving. The NHS constitution standard is 95%. The diagnostics figures show how long people on the waiting list for a test had waited at the end of the month; the standard is that fewer than 1% wait 6 weeks or more. The referral to treatment (RTT) figures cover people waiting to start consultant-led treatment, against a standard of 92% within 18 weeks. These are averages for a whole trust and do not predict how long any one person will wait.
This page was last updated on 2 November 2026. The reporting period is the time the figures describe; the published date is when the official publisher released them. These figures describe people who were already waiting or attending during the reporting period. They are not a forecast or a guarantee of how long someone referred now will wait: that depends on clinical urgency, the hospital and the service.
In September 2026, 73.3% of A&E attendances at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust were admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours, against 74.4% across England. 439 patients waited more than 12 hours from decision to admit. Actual waits depend on how urgent your condition is.
How long is the wait for an MRI scan in St Helens?
At the end of August 2026, 86.2% of the 2,904 people waiting for an MRI scan at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had waited under 6 weeks (England 78.0%).
How long is the wait for a CT scan in St Helens?
At the end of August 2026, 89.6% of the 1,544 people waiting for a CT scan at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had waited under 6 weeks (England 88.8%).
How long is the wait for hospital treatment in St Helens?
The median wait for consultant-led treatment at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was 12.1 weeks at the end of August 2026, and 64.9% of patients had waited under 18 weeks.
Which NHS trust serves St Helens?
St Helens is mapped to Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on this site, based on the nearest major hospitals. Some patients may be treated by other trusts depending on where they live and are referred.
How often are these waiting times updated?
NHS England publishes A&E, diagnostics (DM01) and referral to treatment (RTT) statistics every month, usually on the second Thursday. A&E figures cover the previous month; diagnostics and RTT figures are a month further behind. This site refreshes when new files are published.