A&E Major Trauma Centre

John Radcliffe Hospital (Oxford) A&E Waiting Times

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Latest report
2 hr 35 min
14 Oct 07:01
Average
7 hr 43 min
8 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
Milton Keynes Hospital A&E
27.5 mi away
Long wait
Milton Keynes Children's A&E
27.5 mi away
Long wait
Evesham MIU
38.1 mi away
Long wait
Rugby Urgent Treatment Centre
41.5 mi away
Long wait
Alexandra Hospital A&E
46.1 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Horton General Hospital and Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Contact & location
Headley Way, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9DU
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
Oxford Rail Station44 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
11 routes·2 operators·5 stops within walking distance
West Wing (Stop J7, south-east)1 min walk to A&E
100Go-AheadOxford City Centre ↔ John Radcliffe Hospi
13StagecoachOxford City Centre ↔ Blackbird Leys
14StagecoachOxford City Centre ↔ Risinghurst
20Go-AheadRose Hill ↔ John Radcliffe Hospi
600Go-AheadOxford City Centre ↔ Thornhill Park & Rid
700Go-AheadKidlington ↔ Blackbird Leys
9StagecoachOxford City Centre
H2Go-AheadThornhill Park & Rid ↔ Carterton
X3Go-AheadAbingdon Town Centre ↔ Barton
West Wing (Stop J8, north-west)1 min walk to A&E
10StagecoachOxford City Centre
100Go-AheadJohn Radcliffe Hospi ↔ Oxford City Centre
13StagecoachBlackbird Leys ↔ Oxford City Centre
14StagecoachRisinghurst ↔ Oxford City Centre
20Go-AheadJohn Radcliffe Hospi ↔ Rose Hill
600Go-AheadThornhill Park & Rid ↔ Oxford City Centre
700Go-AheadKidlington ↔ Blackbird Leys
H2Go-AheadThornhill Park & Rid ↔ Carterton
X3Go-AheadAbingdon Town Centre ↔ Barton
West Wing (Stop J9, southbound)1 min walk to A&E
H5StagecoachJohn Radcliffe Hospital ↔ Kingsmere
Saxon Way (Stop J11, south-west)3 min walk to A&E
14StagecoachOxford City Centre ↔ Risinghurst
H5StagecoachKingsmere ↔ John Radcliffe Hospital
X3Go-AheadBarton ↔ Abingdon Town Centre
Saxon Way (Stop J10, north-east)3 min walk to A&E
14StagecoachRisinghurst ↔ Oxford City Centre
X3Go-AheadAbingdon Town Centre ↔ Barton
Plan journey by public transport
What’s available here
Accessibility
Braille Translation ServiceDisabled ParkingDisabled WcInduction LoopSigning Service AvailableStep Free AccessText RelayWheelchair Access
Accommodation
Access To TvFamily AccommodationInternet AccessMobile Phones PermittedPrivate Rooms OnlyPublic TelephoneSingle Sex Accommodation Only
Parking
Car ParkingCycle ParkingDisabled Parking
Counselling and Support
Bereavement SupportTranslation Services
Food and Amenities
CafePharmacyShop
Recent visitor feedbackreported by visitors
Overall
Recommended by visitors
Staff
Staff are friendly and helpful
Not always kept informed about wait times
Triage is typically quick
Environment
Waiting area is clean
Toilets are clean
Waiting area feels safe
Family
No children’s play area
No separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
Enough seating in the waiting area
No TV in the waiting area
No food or drink available nearby
No phone charging points
Free WiFi is available
Mobile signal is poor
Parking
Parking is easy to find
Based on 1 visitor response in the last 6 months. This information is collected through a short anonymous survey shown to visitors on this page.

About John Radcliffe Hospital

John Radcliffe Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to all ages, on Headley Way in Oxford, Oxfordshire, part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It is also a designated Major Trauma Centre - the tier of hospital equipped for life-threatening injuries and complex emergency surgery, which is why ambulances will sometimes drive past closer A&Es to bring the most severely injured patients here. The wider site runs 49 listed departments and services, from Anaesthesia services to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement, last inspected in December 2023. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Requires Improvement when they were last inspected in June 2019. The site lists 2,148 parking spaces, 136 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £1.23 an hour.

Official NHS performance

72.6%seen within 4 hours
13,610attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation 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, 82% of 513 patients who responded at this site reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 90.8% 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
2023-24140,12311,67758.8%9
2024-25144,89812,07563.1%4
2025-26147,48412,29069.5%46
2026-27 (6 months)77,41012,90272.0%42

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances rose 5% and the share seen within four hours improved by 10.8 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

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

The live waiting time for the A&E at John Radcliffe 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 John Radcliffe 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 John Radcliffe 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 John Radcliffe Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 72.6% 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 John Radcliffe Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

Is the A&E at John Radcliffe Hospital open 24 hours?

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

Where is John Radcliffe Hospital and how do I get there?

John Radcliffe Hospital is at Headley Way, Headington, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9DU. For general enquiries call 0300 304 7777. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at John Radcliffe Hospital?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £1.23 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 2,148 parking spaces, including 136 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 John Radcliffe Hospital?

John Radcliffe Hospital is rated Requires Improvement overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England, following an inspection in December 2023. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Requires Improvement when they were last inspected in June 2019. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at John Radcliffe 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 John Radcliffe Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

Yes - John Radcliffe Hospital is a designated Major Trauma Centre, equipped for the most serious emergencies including major injuries and complex surgery. The most severely injured patients in the region are taken here, sometimes bypassing closer hospitals.
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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