A&E Trauma Unit

Colchester A&E Live Waiting Times

Colchester Hospital

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Latest report
14 hr 30 min
09 Oct 00:46
Average
8 hr 21 min
5 reports
Reported by visitors, not the hospital. Waits shown here are typical for non-urgent cases. Patients are seen in order of clinical priority, so the most seriously ill are always seen first no matter how busy the department is.
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0 minutes total
Community reported wait times

These times are reported by visitors and may not reflect current conditions.

Nearby A&E & urgent care
Sheppey MIU
34.5 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Children's A&E
35.9 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital A&E
35.9 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Same Day Emergency Care A&E
35.9 mi away
Long wait
Sittingbourne MIU
40.4 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Ipswich Hospital, Mid Essex Hospital and West Suffolk Hospital.

Contact & location
Turner Road, Colchester, Essex, CO4 5JL
Opening times
Monday TodayOpen 24 hours
TuesdayOpen 24 hours
WednesdayOpen 24 hours
ThursdayOpen 24 hours
FridayOpen 24 hours
SaturdayOpen 24 hours
SundayOpen 24 hours
Getting here
Train stations
Colchester Rail Station14 min walk to A&E
Colchester City Rail Station33 min walk to A&E
Hythe (Essex) Rail Station42 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
20 routes·7 operators·5 stops within walking distance
General Hospital (Stop 1, south-east)2 min walk to A&E
General Hospital (Stop 2, south-east)2 min walk to A&E
51First BusHighwoods ↔ Wivenhoe
51First Essex
52First BusHighwoods ↔ Stanway
68First BusHighwoods ↔ West Mersea
68First Essex
General Hospital - main Rd (o/s, northbound)3 min walk to A&E
51First BusWivenhoe ↔ Highwoods
52First BusStanway ↔ Highwoods
52First Essex
68First BusWest Mersea ↔ Highwoods
80Transport Made SimpleColchester City Cent ↔ Dedham
Hospital Path (opp, northbound)3 min walk to A&E
11Transport Made SimpleColchester
43Transport Made SimpleColchester ↔ Bury St Edmunds
43ATransport Made SimpleColchester City Cent ↔ Bury St Edmunds
43BTransport Made SimpleColchester City Centre ↔ Bury St Edmunds
81Transport Made SimpleColchester ↔ Manningtree
81ATransport Made SimpleColchester City Centre ↔ Manningtree
93Ipswich BusesColchester City Cent ↔ Ipswich
93AIpswich BusesColchester City Cent ↔ Ipswich
P&RArriva UK BusMile End
X43Transport Made SimpleColchester City Cent ↔ Bury St Edmunds
Hospital Path (adj, southbound)4 min walk to A&E
11Transport Made SimpleColchester
43Transport Made SimpleBury St Edmunds ↔ Colchester City Cent
43ATransport Made SimpleBury St Edmunds ↔ Colchester City Cent
43BTransport Made SimpleBury St Edmunds ↔ Colchester City Centre
81Transport Made SimpleDedham ↔ Colchester City Centre
81Central Connect
81ATransport Made SimpleManningtree ↔ Colchester
81ACentral Connect
93Ipswich BusesIpswich ↔ Colchester City Cent
93AIpswich BusesIpswich ↔ Colchester City Cent
P&RArriva UK BusMile End
PRArriva Thameside
X43Transport Made SimpleBury St Edmunds ↔ Colchester City Centre
Plan journey by public transport
What’s available here
Accessibility
Braille Translation ServiceDisabled ParkingDisabled WcSigning Service AvailableStep Free AccessWheelchair Access
Accommodation
Access To TvInternet AccessMobile Phones PermittedPublic Telephone
Parking
Car ParkingCycle ParkingDisabled Parking
Children Facilities
Baby Changing FacilityParent And Baby Room
Counselling and Support
Bereavement SupportTranslation Services
Faith Services
On-Site ChapelPrayer Area
Food and Amenities
CafePharmacyShop

About Colchester Hospital

Colchester Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to all ages, on Turner Road in Colchester, Essex, part of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. It is a designated Trauma Unit, equipped to treat significant injuries and to stabilise the most serious cases before transfer to a regional Major Trauma Centre. The wider site runs 43 listed departments and services, from Breast cancer services to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement.

Official NHS performance

58.8%seen within 4 hours
12,846attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust as a whole, covering every A&E the trust runs rather than this site alone. That is below the England average of 60.4% for major A&E departments over the same month.

In the NHS Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 82% of 676 patients who responded across the trust reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 95.8% overnight bed occupancy in the quarter to March 2026 - full wards are the main reason admitted patients queue in A&E.

Attendances by year

NHS yearA&E attendancesMonthly averageWithin 4 hours12hr+ waits to admit
2023-24170,36014,19753.2%2,936
2024-25164,27113,68951.1%6,143
2025-26138,74811,56251.6%6,119
2026-27 (6 months)72,82112,13758.8%3,520

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances fell 19% and the share seen within four hours fell by 1.6 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check the current A&E wait time at Colchester Hospital?

The live waiting time for the A&E at Colchester Hospital is shown at the top of this page, together with when it was last updated. Times are reported by recent visitors and carry a community badge - after your own visit you can submit your wait time in a few seconds to help the next person.

When is the A&E at Colchester Hospital quietest?

Patterns vary by hospital, but across UK urgent and emergency care the quietest window is usually the early morning, roughly 4am to 7am, with demand building through the afternoon and peaking in the evening. Friday and Saturday nights and Monday mornings are typically the busiest periods. See our guide to the best time to visit for more detail.

How long will I wait at Colchester Hospital A&E?

Patients are triaged on arrival and the most urgent cases are always seen first, so your wait depends on how serious your condition is and how busy the department is. Hospitals in England work to the NHS four-hour standard - the aim is to admit, transfer or discharge patients within four hours of arrival. The live figure on this page shows how Colchester Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 58.8% of patients across the trust's A&E departments were seen within four hours.

How often are the waiting times on this page updated?

This page updates whenever a visitor submits a new wait time, so freshness depends on recent reports - each entry shows when that person visited. If you have been to Colchester Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

Is the A&E at Colchester Hospital open 24 hours?

Yes - the A&E at Colchester Hospital is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. In a life-threatening emergency always call 999.

Where is Colchester Hospital and how do I get there?

Colchester Hospital is at Turner Road, Colchester, Essex, CO4 5JL. For general enquiries call 01206 747474. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

What is the CQC rating for Colchester Hospital?

Colchester Hospital is rated Requires Improvement overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at Colchester Hospital A&E?

This A&E serves: All ages. If your child's age group is not treated here, the nearby section on this page lists alternatives - or call NHS 111 for urgent advice and 999 in an emergency.

Is Colchester Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - Colchester Hospital is a designated Trauma Unit. It treats significant injuries and stabilises the most complex cases before transfer to a regional Major Trauma Centre.
About this data
This hospital does not currently have a live data source. The waiting times shown here are reported by visitors and may not reflect current conditions. You can see how we source data for every hospital on our data sources page. Department labels shown (e.g. A&E, MIU, UTC) are our interpretation of the source data and may not match the hospital’s own terminology. If any information is incorrect, please let us know.
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