A&E 16 years or over

County Hospital (Stafford) A&E Waiting Times

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust

Live Updated 7 min ago
3h
estimated wait time
↑ 23 min longer than usual (2 hr 37 min avg)
3 hr
longest today
8 min
shortest today
2 hr 37 min
usual wait
Typical wait for non-urgent cases. Patients are seen in order of clinical priority. The most seriously ill are always seen first, no matter how busy the department is.
This data might be old - tap to refresh
26 people
waiting
Call A&E
The wait time shown above does not apply to urgent or life-threatening cases, which are seen first regardless of the queue. Not sure if you need A&E? Visit NHS 111 online or call 111 (free, 24 hours a day). Life-threatening emergency or serious injury? Call 999.
Recent waits & what to expect
Forecast Steady for now
Expected wait over the next few hours
3 hr 15 min

Built from 2,232 readings taken here over the last 28 days, then adjusted to how today is going so far. A guide, not a guarantee.

Typical waits by time of day
Usually quietest around 10am - busiest around 3pm
Typical waits by day of week
Friday tends to be quietest, Wednesday busiest
Nearby A&E & urgent care
Royal Stoke University Hospital A&E
14.1 mi away
Long wait
Samuel Johnson MIU
14.6 mi away
Short wait
Haywood Hospital Walk-in Centre
17.4 mi away
Long wait
Queen's Hospital Burton A&E
18.4 mi away
Moderate wait
Princess Royal Hospital Telford A&E
18.6 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including New Cross Hospital, Manor Hospital and Russells Hall Hospital.

Contact & location
Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST16 3SA
Opening times
Monday Today08:00 - 22:00
Tuesday08:00 - 22:00
Wednesday08:00 - 22:00
Thursday08:00 - 22:00
Friday08:00 - 22:00
Saturday08:00 - 22:00
Sunday08:00 - 22:00
Getting here
Train stations
Stafford Rail Station23 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
6 routes·2 operators·5 stops within walking distance
County Hospital (at, eastbound)1 min walk to A&E
828Centrebus GroupLichfield City Centr ↔ Stafford Town Centre
828D&G Bus Ltd
828ACentrebus GroupRugeley ↔ Stafford Town Centre
828AD&G Bus Ltd
841Centrebus GroupStafford Town Centre ↔ Uttoxeter Town Ctr
841D&G Bus Ltd
Coton Avenue (opp, north-east)4 min walk to A&E
828Centrebus GroupStafford Town Centre ↔ Lichfield City Centr
828D&G Bus Ltd
828ACentrebus GroupStafford Town Centre ↔ Rugeley
828AD&G Bus Ltd
841Centrebus GroupStafford Town Centre ↔ Uttoxeter Town Ctr
Copper Glade (adj, south-west)4 min walk to A&E
828Centrebus GroupLichfield City Centr ↔ Stafford Town Centre
828ACentrebus GroupRugeley ↔ Stafford Town Centre
841D&G Bus Ltd
Katherine House (adj, south-east)4 min walk to A&E
828Centrebus GroupLichfield City Centr ↔ Stafford Town Centre
828D&G Bus Ltd
828ACentrebus GroupRugeley ↔ Stafford Town Centre
828AD&G Bus Ltd
841Centrebus GroupStafford Town Centre ↔ Uttoxeter Town Ctr
841D&G Bus Ltd
Coton Avenue (adj, south-west)4 min walk to A&E
828Centrebus GroupLichfield City Centr ↔ Stafford Town Centre
828ACentrebus GroupRugeley ↔ Stafford Town Centre
841D&G Bus Ltd
Plan journey by public transport
Stafford A&E wait times - last 24 hours
Hour Avg. wait People waiting
Today, 7 PM
avg. of 3 readings
 3 hr 28
Today, 6 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 32
Today, 5 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 38
Today, 4 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 36
Today, 3 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 35
Today, 2 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 34
Today, 1 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 50 min 29
Today, 12 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 8 min 26
Today, 11 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 50 min 23
Today, 10 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 46 min 23
Today, 9 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 11 min 15
Today, 8 AM
avg. of 2 readings
 21 min 8
Yesterday, 9 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 13
Yesterday, 8 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 12
Departments & services
  • Accident and emergency (A&E)
  • Allergy services in hospital
  • Breast cancer services
  • Breast Surgery
  • Cardiology
  • Children's & Adolescent Services
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  • Dementia Services
  • Dermatology
  • Diagnostic Physiological Measurement
  • Ear, Nose & Throat
  • Endocrinology and Metabolic Medicine
  • Gastrointestinal and Liver services
  • General Surgery
  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Gynaecology
  • Haematology
  • Inpatient Diabetes
  • Intensive Care
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Neurosurgery
  • Obstetrics And Gynaecology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Orthopaedics
  • Pain Management
  • Plastic surgery
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Rheumatology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Stroke
  • Urology
  • Vascular surgery
What’s available here
Accessibility
Disabled ParkingDisabled WcInduction LoopSigning Service AvailableWheelchair Access
Accommodation
Access To TvPublic Telephone
Parking
Car ParkingCycle ParkingDisabled Parking
Faith Services
On-Site ChapelPrayer Area
Food and Amenities
CafePharmacyShop
Recent visitor feedbackreported by visitors
Overall
2 of 3 would recommend this department
Staff
3 of 3 say staff were friendly and helpful
2 of 3 were kept informed about their wait
3 of 3 say they were triaged quickly
Environment
3 of 3 say the waiting area was clean
3 of 3 say the toilets were clean
3 of 3 felt safe in the waiting area
Family
No separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
2 of 3 say there is enough seating
TV in the waiting area
Food and drink available nearby
Phone charging points available
3 of 3 say free WiFi is available
2 of 3 say mobile signal is good
Parking
2 of 3 found parking easily
Payment accepted: card
Based on 3 visitor responses in the last 6 months. This information is collected through a short anonymous survey shown to visitors on this page.

About County Hospital (Stafford)

County Hospital (Stafford) is home to an accident and emergency department on Weston Road in Stafford, Staffordshire, part of University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust. It opens 08:00 - 22:00 every day and treats 16 years or over. The wider site runs 34 listed departments and services, from Allergy services in hospital to Vascular surgery.

Over the past 28 days, waits here have typically been shortest around 10am and longest around 3pm, a gap of about an hour. The site lists 900 parking spaces, 23 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £1.40 an hour.

Official NHS performance

45.3%seen within 4 hours
15,160attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS 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 August 2026, 86% of 621 patients who responded at this site reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 93.1% 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
2023-24157,74213,14548.5%10,104
2024-25161,57813,46548.1%11,081
2025-26174,14914,51247.4%11,069
2026-27 (6 months)92,69715,45048.6%4,607

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances rose 10% and the share seen within four hours fell by 1.1 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check the current A&E wait time at County Hospital (Stafford)?

The live waiting time for the A&E at County Hospital (Stafford) is shown at the top of this page, together with when it was last updated.

When is the A&E at County Hospital (Stafford) quietest?

Based on the last 28 days of readings at County Hospital (Stafford), waits are usually lowest around 10am and highest around 3pm. The typical-day chart on this page shows the full hour-by-hour pattern, and our guide to the best time to visit covers UK-wide patterns.

How long will I wait at County Hospital (Stafford) 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 County Hospital (Stafford) is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 45.3% of patients across the trust's A&E departments were seen within four hours.

How often are the waiting times on this page updated?

Figures refresh every 15 minutes, and the last-updated time near the top of the page shows exactly when the newest reading was taken. Waiting times can change quickly, so treat any figure as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Is the A&E at County Hospital (Stafford) open 24 hours?

No - it is open every day, 08:00 - 22:00. Outside opening hours, the nearby section on this page lists alternative urgent care, or call NHS 111 for advice. In an emergency always call 999.

Where is County Hospital (Stafford) and how do I get there?

County Hospital (Stafford) is at Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST16 3SA. For general enquiries call 01785 257731. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at County Hospital (Stafford)?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £1.40 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 900 parking spaces, including 23 designated disabled bays. Concessions often apply for blue badge holders, frequent attenders and some patients - check the hospital's own parking page.

Can children be treated at County Hospital (Stafford) A&E?

This A&E serves: 16 years or over. 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.
Where this data comes from
Wait times shown here are sourced from publicly available information published by University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust. Our system automatically checks the trust’s published waiting-times page every 15 minutes and records the displayed waiting time. Data was last checked at 7:42pm on 26 Oct 2026. A full list of every source we use, and when each was last checked, is on our data sources page.

This site is independent and has no affiliation with, or endorsement by, any NHS trust or hospital. 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. Wait times change frequently and may not reflect the current situation, so always contact the hospital directly for the most up-to-date information. If any information is incorrect, please let us know.

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