A&E Trauma Unit All ages

Carlisle A&E Live Waiting Times

Cumberland Infirmary

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

3.6(363 reviews)
Live Updated 11 min ago
2h 30m
estimated wait time
↓ 45 min shorter than usual (3 hr 15 min avg)
4 hr
longest today
2 hr 30 min
shortest today
3 hr 15 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
77 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
2 hr 35 min

Built from 2,483 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 8pm - busiest around 5am
Typical waits by day of week
Friday tends to be quietest, Saturday busiest
Nearby A&E & urgent care
Penrith Community Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre
18.7 mi away
Long wait
Keswick Community Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre
21.3 mi away
Long wait
West Cumberland Hospital A&E
35.0 mi away
Long wait
Warrington Hospital A&E
104.8 mi away
Long wait
Runcorn Urgent Treatment Centre
109.2 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary, Borders General Hospital and Furness General Hospital.

Contact & location
Newtown Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 7HY
Switchboard: 01228 523444
Cumberland Infirmary A&E in Carlisle
Opening times
Monday TodayOpen 24 hours
TuesdayOpen 24 hours
WednesdayOpen 24 hours
ThursdayOpen 24 hours
FridayOpen 24 hours
SaturdayOpen 24 hours
SundayOpen 24 hours
CQC Rating
requires improvement
Getting here
Carlisle A&E wait times - last 24 hours
Hour Avg. wait People waiting
Today, 3 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 30 min 77
Today, 2 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 15 min 65
Today, 1 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 30 min 72
Today, 12 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 30 min 66
Today, 11 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 30 min 63
Today, 10 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 57
Today, 9 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 49
Today, 8 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 45
Today, 7 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 44
Today, 6 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 47
Today, 5 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 43
Today, 4 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 43
Today, 3 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 46
Today, 2 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 46
Today, 1 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 4 hr 54
Today, 12 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 30 min 57
Yesterday, 11 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 30 min 54
Yesterday, 10 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 30 min 56
Yesterday, 9 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 30 min 59
Yesterday, 8 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 59
Yesterday, 7 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 30 min 59
Yesterday, 6 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 30 min 60
Yesterday, 5 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 58
Yesterday, 4 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 3 hr 60
Departments & services
  • Accident and emergency (A&E)
  • Audiology services (community)
  • Breast Surgery
  • Cardiology
  • Child health care services
  • Child protection services
  • Children's & Adolescent Services
  • Continence services
  • COPD services
  • Crisis resolution services
  • Diabetic Medicine
  • Ear, Nose & Throat
  • Endocrinology and Metabolic Medicine
  • Gastrointestinal and Liver services
  • General Medicine
  • General Surgery
  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Gynaecology
  • Haematology
  • Health visitor services
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Nephrology
  • Nursing services
  • Occupational therapy services
  • Ophthalmology
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Paediatrics services
  • Physiotherapy
  • Rehabilitation
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Rheumatology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Speech and language services
  • Stroke
  • Urology
  • Vascular surgery
Recent visitor feedbackreported by visitors
Overall
2 of 3 would recommend this department
Staff
3 of 3 say staff were friendly and helpful
Not always kept informed about wait times
3 of 3 say they were triaged quickly
Environment
3 of 3 say the waiting area was clean
Toilets could be cleaner
3 of 3 felt safe in the waiting area
Family
No children’s play area
Separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
3 of 3 say there is enough seating
TV in the waiting area
Food and drink available nearby
Phone charging points available
2 of 3 say there is no free WiFi
3 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 Cumberland Infirmary

Cumberland Infirmary runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to all ages, on Newtown Road in Carlisle, Cumbria, part of North Cumbria Integrated Care 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 36 listed departments and services, from Audiology services (community) to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Requires Improvement when they were last inspected in November 2023. Over the past 28 days, waits here have typically been shortest around 8pm and longest around 5am, a gap of about an hour and 10 minutes. The site lists 1,332 parking spaces, 63 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £0.67 an hour.

Official NHS performance

51.2%seen within 4 hours
8,977attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for North Cumbria Integrated Care 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 August 2026, 81% of 227 patients who responded at this site reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 88.1% 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
2023-24104,4928,70858.4%5,819
2024-25105,0408,75355.6%6,287
2025-26106,0858,84055.0%4,601
2026-27 (6 months)54,0849,01454.0%1,806

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances rose 2% and the share seen within four hours fell by 3.4 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check the current A&E wait time at Cumberland Infirmary?

The live waiting time for the A&E at Cumberland Infirmary is shown at the top of this page, together with when it was last updated.

When is the A&E at Cumberland Infirmary quietest?

Based on the last 28 days of readings at Cumberland Infirmary, waits are usually lowest around 8pm and highest around 5am. 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 Cumberland Infirmary 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 Cumberland Infirmary is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 51.2% 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 Cumberland Infirmary open 24 hours?

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

Where is Cumberland Infirmary and how do I get there?

Cumberland Infirmary is at Newtown Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 7HY. For general enquiries call 01228 523444. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at Cumberland Infirmary?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £0.67 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 1,332 parking spaces, including 63 designated disabled bays. Concessions often apply for blue badge holders, frequent attenders and some patients - check the hospital's own parking page.

What is the CQC rating for Cumberland Infirmary?

Cumberland Infirmary is rated Requires Improvement overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Requires Improvement when they were last inspected in November 2023. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at Cumberland Infirmary 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 Cumberland Infirmary a Major Trauma Centre?

No - Cumberland Infirmary is a designated Trauma Unit. It treats significant injuries and stabilises the most complex cases before transfer to a regional Major Trauma Centre.
Where this data comes from
Wait times shown here are sourced from publicly available information published by North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation 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 3:45pm on 26 Oct 2026. A full list of every source we use, and when each was last checked, is on our data sources page.
Verified sourceDirect capture from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Independently captured screenshot of North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust’s public wait time page
Captured at 3:45 pm on Monday 26 October 2026

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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