About this site
waitingtime.co.uk is a free tool for finding out how long you might wait at an A&E near you, using official NHS data and waits reported by the public.
What it does
Enter a postcode and it ranks the A&E hospitals within travelling distance, taking into account how far away each one is and how well it has been performing. It mixes three kinds of information, and labels them separately everywhere so you can always see which is which.
- Crowd reports — waits submitted anonymously by members of the public.
- Live trust feeds — figures some NHS trusts publish themselves, refreshed every 10–15 minutes.
- Official statistics — NHS England and Public Health Scotland monthly performance data.
An important limitation
This site cannot know which A&E is right for you, and it is not a medical service. In a real emergency, never travel past a nearer A&E to reach one that looks faster here. A longer journey in a serious condition is a far bigger risk than a queue.
If you are unsure where to go, call 111 — that is the NHS routing service, and it can direct you better than any website can. Call 999 for anything life-threatening.
No ads, no sponsors
There are no adverts, no affiliate links and no paid placements on this site, and no hospital can pay to appear better than it is. It is built and run by one person and currently earns nothing. If it has been useful, you can help cover the running costs.
More detail
Every source we use, how the expected wait is calculated, and what the ranking does and does not account for. Read
Why there are no ads here, and how to help with the running costs if you would like to. Open
All major A&E hospitals ranked by official 4-hour performance, with attendance volumes shown alongside. View