A&E Trauma Unit

Dartford A&E Live Waiting Times

Darent Valley Hospital

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

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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Community reported wait times

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Past NHS Data

This hospital previously had a live data feed. The averages below are based on 100 past readings. Last live update: 02 Mar 09:15.

1 hr 43 min
overall average
3 hr
longest recorded
Nearby A&E & urgent care
Sittingbourne MIU
21.7 mi away
Long wait
Sheppey MIU
23.1 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Same Day Emergency Care A&E
24.4 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Children's A&E
24.4 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital A&E
24.4 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Gravesend, Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Royal University Hospital.

Contact & location
Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 8DA
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
Stone Crossing Rail Station23 min walk to A&E
Greenhithe for Bluewater Rail Station29 min walk to A&E
Dartford Rail Station38 min walk to A&E
Swanscombe Rail Station49 min walk to A&E
Farningham Road Rail Station51 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
11 routes·7 operators·5 stops within walking distance
Darent Valley Hospital (adj, northbound)1 min walk to A&E
428Arriva UK BusErith ↔ Bluewater
428ARRIVA LONDON NORTH LIMErith ↔ Greenhithe
479Brookline Coaches LtdNew Ash Green ↔ Bluewater
BArriva UK BusTemple Hill ↔ Gravesend
NArriva UK BusBluewater ↔ Gravesend
Darent Valley Hospital (o/s, westbound)1 min walk to A&E
428Arriva UK BusBluewater ↔ Erith
428ARRIVA LONDON NORTH LIMGreenhithe ↔ Erith
479Brookline Coaches LtdBluewater ↔ New Ash Green
96Arriva UK BusWoolwich ↔ Bluewater
96SOUTH EAST LONDON & KENGreenhithe ↔ Woolwich
BArriva UK BusGravesend ↔ Temple Hill
BFastrack
NArriva UK BusGravesend ↔ Bluewater
NFastrack
Hospital Car Park (adj, westbound)3 min walk to A&E
BArriva UK BusGravesend ↔ Temple Hill
BFastrack
NArriva UK BusGravesend ↔ Bluewater
NFastrack
Hospital Car Park (opp, eastbound)3 min walk to A&E
BArriva UK BusTemple Hill ↔ Gravesend
NArriva UK BusBluewater ↔ Gravesend
St James' Lane (opp, westbound)3 min walk to A&E
D21st Bus Stop LtdTemple Hill ↔ Longfield
G1Brian Jones CoachesDenton ↔ Longfield
Plan journey by public transport
What’s available here
Accessibility
Disabled ParkingDisabled WcInduction LoopSigning Service AvailableStep Free AccessWheelchair Access
Accommodation
Access To TvFamily AccommodationInternet AccessPrivate Rooms OnlyPublic TelephoneSingle Sex Accommodation Only
Parking
Car ParkingCycle ParkingDisabled Parking
Counselling and Support
Bereavement SupportTranslation Services
Faith Services
On-Site ChapelPrayer Area
Food and Amenities
CafePatient LibraryPharmacyShop

About Darent Valley Hospital

Darent Valley Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to all ages, on Darenth Wood Road in Dartford, Kent, part of Dartford and Gravesham NHS 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 40 listed departments and services, from Breast cancer services to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Good, last inspected in October 2022. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Good when they were last inspected in June 2022. The site lists 1,504 parking spaces, 48 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £1.00 an hour.

Official NHS performance

74.3%seen within 4 hours
12,375attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust as a whole, covering every A&E the trust runs rather than this site alone. That is above 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, 71% of 359 patients who responded at this site reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 94.1% 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
2023-24134,83511,23667.7%219
2024-25134,44411,20467.5%2,804
2025-26136,64011,38772.1%3,665
2026-27 (6 months)70,84711,80875.3%2,248

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances stayed broadly flat and the share seen within four hours improved by 4.4 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

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

The live waiting time for the A&E at Darent Valley 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 Darent Valley 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 Darent Valley 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 Darent Valley Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 74.3% of patients across the trust's A&E departments were seen within four hours.

How often are the waiting times on this page updated?

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 Darent Valley Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

Is the A&E at Darent Valley Hospital open 24 hours?

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

Where is Darent Valley Hospital and how do I get there?

Darent Valley Hospital is at Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 8DA. For general enquiries call 01322 428100. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at Darent Valley Hospital?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £1.00 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 1,504 parking spaces, including 48 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 Darent Valley Hospital?

Darent Valley Hospital is rated Good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England, following an inspection in October 2022. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Good when they were last inspected in June 2022. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at Darent Valley 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 Darent Valley Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - Darent Valley 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 previously had a live data feed but is no longer being updated. Historical averages from past NHS data are shown below. Current waiting times are reported by visitors and may not reflect actual 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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