A&E data for September 2026, published 8 October 2026 · Scotland A&E data for August 2026, published 6 October 2026 · Wales emergency departments data for September 2026, published 22 October 2026 · Page updated 2 November 2026

A&E waiting times

Name: A&E waiting times in England (September 2026)
Creator: NHS England
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

How long people wait in A&E across England, by region and by NHS trust, from NHS England’s monthly A&E attendances and emergency admissions statistics for September 2026 (published 8 October 2026). Scotland and Wales figures are shown separately below.

Short answer: In September 2026, 74.4% of the 2,444,743 A&E attendances in England ended within 4 hours (admitted, transferred or discharged), against the NHS standard of 95%. At major (type 1) emergency departments the figure was 60.6%. By NHS England region it ranged from 71.8% to 77.0%. 50,582 people waited more than 12 hours from a decision to admit.

Source: NHS England A&E statistics, published 8 October 2026. These are past figures, not a forecast of how long you will wait.

74.4%of A&E attendances in England within 4 hours

60.6%within 4 hours at major (type 1) A&Es

2,444,743attendances in September 2026

50,582waited 12+ hours from decision to admit

In September 2026, 74.4% of the 2,444,743 A&E attendances in England were admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours, down 0.7 percentage points since September 2025. The NHS constitution standard is 95%. At major emergency departments the figure was 60.6%. 401,316 people were admitted as emergencies via A&E, and 78,617 waited between 4 and 12 hours from the decision to admit, with a further 50,582 waiting over 12 hours.

Weekly and daily figures: NHS England publishes A&E statistics monthly. During winter it also publishes weekly urgent and emergency care situation reports; when those are released they will be added here. If it is not an emergency, NHS 111 online or calling 111 can tell you where to go, including urgent treatment centres, which often have shorter waits. Call 999 or go to A&E for life-threatening emergencies such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or signs of a stroke.

England trend

England: % of A&E attendances within 4 hours

Month	Within 4 hours (all)	Within 4 hours (type 1)	Attendances	12-hour waits
September 2026	74.4%	60.6%	2,444,743	50,582
August 2026	75.0%	61.1%	2,342,959	44,951
July 2026	75.4%	61.7%	2,487,580	47,438
June 2026	75.0%	61.2%	2,437,906	49,466
May 2026	75.7%	61.9%	2,457,398	50,212
April 2026	76.9%	63.8%	2,345,329	47,750
March 2026	77.1%	64.1%	2,432,272	46,665
February 2026	74.1%	59.4%	2,117,450	54,649
January 2026	72.5%	57.3%	2,319,296	71,517
December 2025	73.8%	59.6%	2,326,139	50,789
November 2025	74.2%	60.3%	2,347,046	50,648
October 2025	74.2%	60.1%	2,401,266	54,326
September 2025	75.1%	61.1%	2,310,222	44,765

By region

Region	Within 4 hours	Type 1	Attendances	12-hour waits
London	77.0%	62.8%	432,712	8,713
South East	76.2%	63.5%	376,448	6,776
North East and Yorkshire	75.2%	61.4%	379,212	3,884
East of England	74.0%	61.8%	249,177	4,728
Midlands	72.9%	58.7%	448,136	12,623
South West	71.8%	57.3%	218,757	3,888
North West	71.8%	57.4%	340,301	9,970

All 120 trusts with a major A&E

Ordered by the share of all A&E attendances admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours in September 2026. Figures include any urgent treatment centres the trust runs, so trusts with large minor injury services can score higher.

#	Trust	Region	Within 4 hours	Type 1	Attendances	12-hour waits	Towns
1	Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	90.8%	78.6%	25,374	0
2	Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	90.3%	89.6%	5,007	0
3	West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	East of England	87.2%	73.1%	18,240	15
4	George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	86.7%	83.9%	9,432	354	Nuneaton
5	Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust	North West	85.9%	85.9%	6,240	0
6	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	85.3%	85.3%	16,465	41
7	Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	82.1%	73.4%	13,946	215	Bradford
8	The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	81.9%	57.5%	12,624	6
9	West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	81.7%	79.7%	9,264	149
10	Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	81.7%	62.9%	32,810	568
11	North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	81.0%	40.1%	16,342	25
12	The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	80.3%	73.3%	15,165	155	Dudley
13	Isle of Wight NHS Trust	South East	80.1%	71.9%	6,413	110
14	Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust	London	80.1%	70.2%	45,096	2,031	Camden
15	Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust	South East	80.1%	74.3%	16,496	490	Dartford
16	The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust	Midlands	80.0%	66.3%	20,921	506	Wolverhampton
17	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	79.8%	68.0%	21,729	287
18	Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	79.5%	73.9%	19,993	8	Oxford, Banbury, Bicester
19	Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	South West	78.6%	60.6%	9,691	70	Dorchester, Weymouth
20	Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	London	78.5%	78.5%	11,472	25	Hackney
21	Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	78.2%	60.7%	20,004	743
22	Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	78.2%	74.2%	5,737	3
23	St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	78.2%	71.2%	14,107	287
24	Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	78.0%	72.6%	28,769	44	Westminster
25	Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	77.6%	68.6%	14,313	164
26	The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	East of England	77.6%	71.4%	11,799	328
27	County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	77.3%	58.8%	23,358	52
28	Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	77.2%	58.9%	10,296	11	Gateshead
29	South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	77.2%	47.8%	18,947	18
30	The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	76.2%	56.1%	24,847	17	Newcastle upon Tyne
31	Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	76.0%	50.6%	19,272	505
32	East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	75.7%	58.8%	25,734	858
33	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	75.7%	61.8%	31,422	685	Leeds
34	East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	75.6%	62.5%	25,242	814	Blackburn, Burnley
35	Medway NHS Foundation Trust	South East	75.6%	69.7%	17,283	413
36	Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust	South West	75.5%	47.2%	19,689	497	Truro, Falmouth, Penzance
37	Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust	London	75.5%	57.3%	25,063	0	Westminster
38	Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust	London	75.4%	61.2%	18,283	73
39	London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust	London	75.4%	50.9%	31,166	657
40	Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust	South East	75.3%	62.6%	35,909	599	Slough, Maidenhead
41	University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust	Midlands	75.3%	60.7%	21,806	18	Coventry, Warwick, Leamington Spa
42	Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust	Midlands	75.3%	66.8%	14,832	339
43	North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust	North West	75.2%	54.9%	14,041	856
44	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust	South East	74.9%	72.9%	23,409	686	Maidstone
45	University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London	74.7%	74.7%	14,600	246	Camden
46	South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	74.7%	59.4%	21,549	2	Sunderland
47	Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust	South East	74.6%	62.9%	19,289	0	Reading, Maidenhead
48	Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	74.5%	62.5%	27,176	85
49	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	74.5%	57.0%	21,786	221	Birmingham
50	Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	74.4%	68.6%	17,182	179	Mansfield
51	East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	74.1%	66.7%	16,117	215	Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes
52	Barts Health NHS Trust	London	74.0%	61.0%	46,850	1,208
53	University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust	North West	73.5%	60.2%	14,033	532
54	Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	73.3%	65.7%	18,559	376	Doncaster
55	Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North West	73.3%	62.8%	25,375	439	St Helens
56	Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust	South East	73.2%	64.9%	10,455	24	Guildford
57	Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	73.0%	67.7%	16,415	425	Preston
58	East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust	East of England	72.4%	47.1%	18,817	89
59	Croydon Health Services NHS Trust	London	72.4%	63.1%	18,461	626	Croydon
60	Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	72.1%	64.8%	7,119	1	Harrogate
61	Whittington Health NHS Trust	London	72.1%	72.1%	9,715	278
62	East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust	South East	72.1%	50.9%	26,960	1,079	Canterbury, Ashford
63	Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	71.9%	47.8%	18,850	8	Sheffield
64	Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	71.8%	51.4%	12,110	180	Chesterfield
65	University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	71.8%	64.8%	20,484	342	Bournemouth, Poole
66	Somerset NHS Foundation Trust	South West	71.7%	52.4%	21,855	86	Taunton, Yeovil, Bridgwater
67	Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust	North West	71.7%	59.2%	47,506	81	Manchester
68	Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust	South West	71.5%	59.6%	11,123	167	Torquay
69	Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	71.3%	71.3%	10,098	109
70	Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust	South East	71.3%	60.2%	19,291	1,202	Portsmouth
71	Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust	London	71.1%	44.1%	33,723	713	Greenwich
72	Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust	London	70.8%	67.3%	14,559	743	Epsom
73	University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust	South East	70.7%	68.0%	13,544	14	Southampton
74	Stockport NHS Foundation Trust	North West	70.2%	62.8%	11,289	228	Stockport
75	Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	70.2%	50.6%	16,209	2
76	Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	70.1%	59.1%	24,129	213	Wakefield
77	Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust	North West	70.0%	61.5%	36,218	1,103	Salford
78	Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	South West	69.7%	67.8%	28,667	620
79	Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	69.6%	61.8%	37,143	1,371
80	Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust	London	69.4%	41.5%	16,141	516
81	South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	69.4%	67.4%	9,053	190	Warwick, Leamington Spa
82	Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	69.4%	55.6%	14,253	821
83	Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	69.3%	50.8%	17,430	757
84	The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	69.2%	69.2%	10,045	17	Rotherham
85	King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	London	69.2%	51.8%	27,380	692
86	University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	69.0%	57.3%	47,503	2,085	Birmingham
87	Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	69.0%	43.4%	13,114	238
88	United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	68.8%	63.6%	22,024	1,347
89	Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	68.5%	54.0%	17,947	262
90	University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust	Midlands	67.5%	53.9%	32,437	794	Derby
91	Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	67.1%	58.1%	10,761	489	Woking
92	North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	66.8%	61.1%	21,872	705
93	Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	66.7%	48.0%	28,153	1,125	Liverpool
94	Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	66.5%	52.8%	21,082	1,062
95	Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust	South West	66.5%	50.4%	7,524	235
96	Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust	Midlands	66.2%	44.6%	27,799	979	Nottingham
97	James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	66.0%	59.1%	9,456	423
98	University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust	Midlands	66.0%	45.2%	26,032	640
99	Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	65.6%	53.6%	12,593	440
100	University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust	South West	65.6%	36.2%	17,453	588	Plymouth
101	Wye Valley NHS Trust	Midlands	65.3%	59.2%	7,560	135
102	Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North West	65.2%	49.7%	10,672	607
103	The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust	East of England	64.8%	57.9%	7,933	154
104	Bolton NHS Foundation Trust	North West	63.3%	51.3%	12,599	580	Bolton
105	Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust	South West	62.9%	50.2%	19,808	213	Exeter, Barnstaple, Tiverton
106	Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South East	62.5%	48.2%	15,005	11	Winchester, Basingstoke
107	North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	62.4%	51.7%	12,199	229
108	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust	Midlands	62.1%	59.4%	26,350	499	Leicester, Loughborough
109	Airedale NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	61.9%	60.2%	6,827	181
110	York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	North East and Yorkshire	61.8%	48.3%	18,329	315	York, Scarborough
111	Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	61.8%	50.3%	8,676	768
112	Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	South West	61.8%	61.8%	14,773	454
113	University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust	South East	60.6%	57.4%	33,825	840	Brighton, Worthing, Crawley
114	Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust	North West	60.0%	50.3%	11,967	681
115	Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust	South West	56.7%	56.7%	9,425	176	Bath
116	Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	North East and Yorkshire	54.5%	42.4%	14,223	612
117	Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust	North West	53.4%	43.4%	10,669	498	Wirral
118	Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust	South East	52.1%	52.1%	11,041	432	Crawley
119	The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust	Midlands	51.0%	43.2%	14,335	1,373
120	East Cheshire NHS Trust	North West	49.8%	49.2%	4,811	490

Scotland

Scottish figures come from Public Health Scotland and are not NHS England data. In August 2026, 66.7% of 152,331 A&E attendances in Scotland were within 4 hours.

Health board	Within 4 hours	Attendances
NHS Orkney	95.2%	767
NHS Western Isles	94.0%	978
NHS Tayside	88.1%	8,746
NHS Shetland	81.5%	795
NHS Highland	78.9%	10,775
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	74.6%	5,052
NHS Fife	72.7%	8,840
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	68.4%	38,043
NHS Borders	65.5%	3,255
NHS Grampian	64.4%	12,388
NHS Lothian	64.0%	27,520
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	60.1%	9,272
NHS Forth Valley	59.3%	8,003
NHS Lanarkshire	49.4%	17,897

Wales

Welsh figures come from StatsWales and are not NHS England data. In September 2026, 63.9% of 98,720 emergency department attendances in Wales were within 4 hours, and 88.2% within 12 hours.

Health board	Within 4 hours	Within 12 hours	Attendances
Powys Teaching Health Board	100.0%	100.0%	1,614
Swansea Bay University Health Board	71.3%	90.5%	12,158
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board	69.5%	90.4%	17,271
Hywel Dda University Health Board	66.8%	89.8%	16,231
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board	59.3%	91.1%	12,369
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board	58.7%	87.0%	17,588
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board	57.4%	82.5%	21,489

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland publishes live emergency department waits through nidirect, which we show on the live A&E waiting times page. Official performance statistics are published quarterly by the Department of Health as a report rather than a data file, so they are not reproduced here. See the Department of Health waiting times statistics.

Compare A&E with cancer, scan and treatment waits for every trust on the compare NHS trusts page, or see live A&E waits where they are published.

A&E by town

Aberdeen · Ashford · Banbury · Bangor (Gwynedd) · Barnstaple · Basingstoke · Bath · Bicester · Birmingham · Blackburn · Bolton · Bournemouth · Bradford · Bridgwater · Brighton · Burnley · Camden · Canterbury · Cardiff · Chesterfield · Coventry · Crawley · Croydon · Dartford · Derby · Doncaster · Dorchester · Dudley · Dunfermline · East Kilbride · Eastbourne · Edinburgh · Epsom · Exeter · Falmouth · Flint · Gateshead · Glasgow · Greenwich · Guildford · Hackney · Hamilton · Harrogate · Hastings · Inverness · Kirkcaldy · Leamington Spa · Leeds · Leicester · Lewes · Liverpool · Loughborough · Maidenhead · Maidstone · Manchester · Mansfield · Newcastle upon Tyne · Newport · Newquay · Nottingham · Nuneaton · Oxford · Penzance · Plymouth · Pontypridd · Poole · Portsmouth · Preston · Reading · Rotherham · Salford · Scarborough · Sheffield · Slough · Southampton · St Helens · Stockport · Sunderland · Swansea · Taunton · Tiverton · Torquay · Truro · Wakefield · Warwick · Westminster · Weymouth · Winchester · Wirral · Woking · Wolverhampton · Worthing · Yeovil · York

Sources and dates

Official statistics	Reporting period	Published	Link
NHS England: A&E attendances and emergency admissions	September 2026	8 October 2026	Official source
Public Health Scotland: Scotland A&E activity and waiting times (all A&E sites)	August 2026	6 October 2026	Official source
Welsh Government (StatsWales): Wales emergency department and diagnostic waiting times	September 2026	22 October 2026	Official source

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.

Official statistics are reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See data sources and methods, or report a figure that looks wrong.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 4-hour A&E target?

The NHS constitution standard is that 95% of people attending A&E should be admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours of arrival. The figures here show the share of attendances that met it: people admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours. This is not the time until you are first seen.

What is the average A&E wait in England?

NHS England does not publish an average wait in this monthly dataset. It reports the share of attendances admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours: 74.4% in September 2026.

Which trust has the best 4-hour A&E performance?

In September 2026, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust had the highest share within 4 hours (90.8%) among trusts with a major A&E, and East Cheshire NHS Trust the lowest (49.8%). Differences partly reflect the mix of services each trust reports.

What are 12-hour waits?

The 12-hour figure counts patients who waited more than 12 hours from a decision to admit them to actually being admitted to a ward (“trolley waits”). It does not count everyone in A&E for 12 hours.

Should I go to A&E or call 111?

If it is not an emergency, NHS 111 online or calling 111 can tell you where to go, including urgent treatment centres, which often have shorter waits. Call 999 or go to A&E for life-threatening emergencies such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or signs of a stroke.