The closest A&E publishing a live wait to each city centre, in a straight line. Cities without one within 15 miles aren’t listed.
Drive there
Real driving time by road from your postcode.
The wait
The figure the hospital publishes, checked every 15 minutes.
Drive home
Added back on, so the total is the whole trip. There’s no catchment area for A&E, so the quickest can be further away.
How far is my nearest A&E?
Enter your postcode or use your location and WaitSmart lists the closest A&Es, urgent treatment centres and minor injuries units with the distance and driving time to each, with the one physically closest to you flagged. In rural areas the nearest A&E can be a long drive, and the results also show any urgent treatment centres and minor injuries units nearby.
NHS 111 can tell you which of them suits your problem.
Is there an A&E open near me now?
A&E departments are open 24 hours a day, every day. Urgent treatment centres, minor injuries units and walk-in centres have set opening hours, so WaitSmart marks any that are closed right now and moves them to the end of the list, and the open now only option hides them altogether.
Where is my nearest minor injuries unit or urgent treatment centre?
Search with your postcode and choose UTC & MIU in the results to see only urgent treatment centres, minor injuries units and walk-in centres, with their current waits and driving times. Some ask you to call 111 or book before you arrive, so check the unit’s page or call 111 first if you’re unsure.
Can I go to an A&E that isn’t my nearest?
Yes. There is no catchment area for A&E, so you can attend any emergency department in the UK. That is why WaitSmart compares the whole trip, the drive there, the wait and the drive home, rather than only showing the closest.
Is the nearest A&E always the quickest?
Often not. An A&E twenty minutes further away with a much shorter queue can see you sooner than the one round the corner. Patients are always seen in order of clinical need, so the wait shown is for less urgent cases.
Where do the waiting times come from?
Most figures are published by the hospital trust itself or by an NHS service for its region, and WaitSmart checks them every 15 minutes. Where a hospital publishes nothing, recent visitors can report how long they waited and the average of those reports is shown instead, clearly marked as visitor reports. Our
data sources page lists every feed.
Is this medical advice?
No. WaitSmart only shows published waiting times and journey times, and it cannot tell you which service your symptoms need. If someone’s life is at risk, call 999. If you are not sure where to go,
NHS 111 online or a call to 111 will tell you, and our
where to go page sets out the NHS’s own guidance on each service.
In an emergency, call 999. Waiting times are a guide for people with less urgent problems and never a reason to delay emergency care. WaitSmart is independent of the NHS and does not give medical advice.