A&E Trauma Unit

Chelmsford A&E Live Waiting Times

Mid Essex Hospital

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Latest report
2 hr
23 Oct 07:40
Average
12 hr 36 min
5 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.
Report a wait time

Share your experience to help keep this data accurate.

0 minutes total
Community reported wait times

These times are reported by visitors and may not reflect current conditions.

Nearby A&E & urgent care
Princess Alexandra Hospital Same Day Emergency Care A&E
16.2 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Children's A&E
16.2 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital A&E
16.2 mi away
Long wait
Sheppey MIU
28.5 mi away
Long wait
Sittingbourne MIU
32.5 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Basildon Hospital, Southend Hospital and Queen's Hospital.

Contact & location
Broomfield Hospital, Court Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 7ET
Switchboard: 01245 362000
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
Chelmsford Rail Station52 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
19 routes·5 operators·5 stops within walking distance
Hospital (Stand 1, northbound)2 min walk to A&E
C1First BusGreat Waltham ↔ Galleywood
C1First Essex
Hospital (Stand 2, northbound)2 min walk to A&E
170First BusBraintree ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
170First Essex
370First BusHalstead ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
42AFirst BusBishops Stortford ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
42AFirst Essex
48Stephensons of EssexPleshey ↔ West Hanningfield
49Transport Made SimpleWethersfield ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
70First BusBraintree ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
703UgobusBroomfield
99Stephensons of EssexSouth Woodham Ferrers ↔ Broomfield
X10First BusStansted Airport ↔ Basildon
X70First BusColchester City Centre ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
X70First Essex
Hospital (Stand 3, westbound)2 min walk to A&E
170First BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Braintree
370First BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Halstead
42AFirst BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Bishops Stortford
48Stephensons of EssexWest Hanningfield ↔ Pleshey
49Transport Made SimpleChelmsford City Centre ↔ Wethersfield
70First BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Braintree
C1First BusGalleywood ↔ Great Waltham
X10First BusBasildon Town Centre ↔ Stansted Airport
X30First BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Stansted Airport
Hospital (Stand 4, westbound)2 min walk to A&E
47First BusBroomfield ↔ Moulsham
C2First BusGreat Baddow ↔ Broomfield
C2First Essex
Ambulance HQ (opp, eastbound)3 min walk to A&E
170First BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Braintree
170First Essex
370First BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Halstead
42AFirst BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Bishops Stortford
42AFirst Essex
47First BusBroomfield ↔ Moulsham
48Stephensons of EssexWest Hanningfield ↔ Pleshey
49Transport Made SimpleWethersfield ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
70First BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Braintree
99Stephensons of EssexBroomfield ↔ South Woodham Ferrers
C1First BusGalleywood ↔ Great Waltham
C1First Essex
C2First BusBroomfield ↔ Great Baddow
X70First BusColchester City Centre ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
X70First Essex
Plan journey by public transport
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 could be cleaner
Waiting area feels safe
Family
Separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
Enough seating in the waiting area
TV in the waiting area
Food and drink available nearby
Phone charging points available
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 Mid Essex Hospital

Mid Essex Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to under 16 years, on Broomfield Hospital, Court Road in Chelmsford, Essex, part of Mid and South Essex 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 27 listed departments and services, from Breast Surgery to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement. The site lists 2,069 parking spaces, 74 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £1.33 an hour.

Official NHS performance

61.8%seen within 4 hours
28,595attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for Mid and South Essex 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, 74% of 696 patients who responded at this site reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 99.0% 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
2023-24365,35730,44666.0%236
2024-25358,85829,90566.4%1,907
2025-26343,74728,64665.6%7,510
2026-27 (6 months)168,15328,02664.5%6,777

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances fell 6% and the share seen within four hours changed little.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check the current A&E wait time at Mid Essex Hospital?

The live waiting time for the A&E at Mid Essex 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 Mid Essex 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 Mid Essex 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 Mid Essex Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 61.8% 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 Mid Essex Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

Is the A&E at Mid Essex Hospital open 24 hours?

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

Where is Mid Essex Hospital and how do I get there?

Mid Essex Hospital is at Broomfield Hospital, Court Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 7ET. For general enquiries call 01245 362000. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at Mid Essex Hospital?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £1.33 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 2,069 parking spaces, including 74 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 Mid Essex Hospital?

Mid Essex Hospital is rated Requires Improvement overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and social care in England. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at Mid Essex Hospital A&E?

This A&E serves: Under 16 years. 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 Mid Essex Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - Mid Essex 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.
Directions