A&E Trauma Unit

Luton A&E Live Waiting Times

Luton And Dunstable Hospital

BEDFORDSHIRE HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Latest report
7 hr 50 min
16 Oct 21:51
Average
6 hr 51 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 Children's A&E
14.4 mi away
Long wait
Milton Keynes Hospital A&E
14.4 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Children's A&E
25.5 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital A&E
25.5 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Same Day Emergency Care A&E
25.5 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Lister Hospital, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Bedford Hospital South Wing.

Contact & location
Lewsey Road, Luton, LU4 0DZ
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
Leagrave Rail Station20 min walk to A&E
Luton Rail Station55 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
13 routes·4 operators·5 stops within walking distance
Luton & Dunstable Hospital (Main Entrance, westbound)2 min walk to A&E
Luton & Dunstable Hospital (adj, southbound)2 min walk to A&E
17Centrebus GroupLewsey Park ↔ Lewsey Farm
4AArriva UK BusLuton Town Centre ↔ Dunstable
4AArriva Beds & Bucks
AArriva UK BusLuton Airport
AArriva Beds & Bucks
CN5Arriva UK BusLewsey Farm ↔ Warden Hill
CN5Arriva Beds & Bucks
Luton & Dunstable Hospital (opp, northbound)2 min walk to A&E
17Centrebus GroupLewsey Park ↔ Lewsey Farm
17ACentrebus
4AArriva UK BusDunstable ↔ Luton Town Centre
CN5Arriva UK BusWarden Hill ↔ Lewsey Farm
ZArriva UK BusLuton Airport
ZArriva Beds & Bucks
Stanton Road (opp, eastbound)3 min walk to A&E
1Arriva UK BusDunstable ↔ Farley Hill
17Centrebus GroupLewsey Park ↔ Lewsey Farm
AArriva UK BusLuton Airport
AArriva Beds & Bucks
CN5Arriva UK BusLewsey Farm ↔ Warden Hill
CN5Arriva Beds & Bucks
Stanton Road (adj, westbound)3 min walk to A&E
1Arriva UK BusFarley Hill ↔ Dunstable
1Arriva Beds & Bucks
17Centrebus GroupLewsey Park ↔ Lewsey Farm
230Centrebus GroupCaddington
Plan journey by public transport
What’s available here
Accessibility
Braille Translation ServiceDisabled ParkingDisabled WcInduction LoopSigning Service AvailableStep Free AccessWheelchair Access
Accommodation
Access To TvInternet AccessMobile Phones PermittedPublic TelephoneSingle Sex Accommodation Only
Parking
Car ParkingCycle ParkingDisabled Parking
Counselling and Support
Bereavement SupportTranslation Services
Food and Amenities On-site
CafePharmacyShop

About Luton And Dunstable Hospital

Luton And Dunstable Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to all ages, on Lewsey Road in Luton, Bedfordshire, part of BEDFORDSHIRE HOSPITALS 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 51 listed departments and services, from Anaesthesia services to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement, last inspected in November 2023. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Good when they were last inspected in December 2022. The site lists 1,525 parking spaces, 39 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £3.00 an hour.

Official NHS performance

62.5%seen within 4 hours
18,509attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for BEDFORDSHIRE 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, 72% of 441 patients who responded at this site reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 96.8% 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
2023-24190,43415,87068.0%48
2024-25193,75616,14659.1%274
2025-26201,87716,82362.3%278
2026-27 (6 months)109,96518,32863.0%266

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances rose 6% and the share seen within four hours fell by 5.7 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check the current A&E wait time at Luton And Dunstable Hospital?

The live waiting time for the A&E at Luton And Dunstable 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 Luton And Dunstable 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 Luton And Dunstable 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 Luton And Dunstable Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 62.5% 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 Luton And Dunstable Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

Is the A&E at Luton And Dunstable Hospital open 24 hours?

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

Where is Luton And Dunstable Hospital and how do I get there?

Luton And Dunstable Hospital is at Lewsey Road, Luton, LU4 0DZ. For general enquiries call 01582 491166. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at Luton And Dunstable Hospital?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £3.00 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 1,525 parking spaces, including 39 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 Luton And Dunstable Hospital?

Luton And Dunstable 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 November 2023. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Good when they were last inspected in December 2022. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at Luton And Dunstable 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 Luton And Dunstable Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - Luton And Dunstable 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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