A&E Trauma Unit All ages

Barnstaple A&E Live Waiting Times

North Devon District Hospital

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

4.2(348 reviews)
Live Updated 12 min ago
2h 48m
estimated wait time
↑ 59 min longer than usual (1 hr 49 min avg)
3 hr 2 min
longest today
0 min
shortest today
1 hr 49 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
59 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 45 min

Built from 2,609 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 11am - busiest around 2am
Typical waits by day of week
Saturday tends to be quietest, Sunday busiest
Nearby A&E & urgent care
Minehead Urgent Treatment Centre
26.6 mi away
Long wait
Stratton MIU
27.2 mi away
Short wait
Tiverton Urgent Treatment Centre
27.3 mi away
Long wait
Launceston MIU
34.8 mi away
Moderate wait
Sidwell Street Walk-in Centre
34.8 mi away
Short wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Neath Port Talbot Hospital, Morriston Hospital and Prince Philip Hospital.

Contact & location
Raleigh Park, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4JB
North Devon District Hospital A&E in Barnstaple
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
Inspected 14 Jul 2021
Getting here
Train stations
Barnstaple Rail Station28 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
5 routes·1 operator·5 stops within walking distance
North Devon District Hospital (W-bound, westbound)1 min walk to A&E
19StagecoachRoundswell ↔ Barnstaple
29StagecoachBarnstaple ↔ Bishops Tawton
301StagecoachBarnstaple ↔ Combe Martin
309StagecoachLynmouth ↔ Barnstaple
North Road (S-bound, southbound)3 min walk to A&E
155StagecoachBradiford ↔ South Molton
19StagecoachBarnstaple ↔ Roundswell
29StagecoachBarnstaple ↔ Bishops Tawton
301StagecoachCombe Martin ↔ Barnstaple
309StagecoachLynmouth ↔ Barnstaple
North Road (N-bound, northbound)3 min walk to A&E
19StagecoachRoundswell ↔ Barnstaple
301StagecoachBarnstaple ↔ Combe Martin
309StagecoachBarnstaple ↔ Lynmouth
Youings Drive (N-bound, northbound)6 min walk to A&E
29StagecoachBarnstaple ↔ Bishops Tawton
Youings Drive Roundabout (SE-bound, south-east)6 min walk to A&E
29StagecoachBarnstaple ↔ Bishops Tawton
Plan journey by public transport
Barnstaple A&E wait times - last 24 hours
Hour Avg. wait People waiting
Today, 2 PM
avg. of 1 reading
 2 hr 48 min 59
Today, 1 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 45 min 59
Today, 12 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 6 min 53
Today, 11 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 43 min 49
Today, 10 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 12 min 44
Today, 9 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 23 min 42
Today, 8 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 42 min 36
Today, 7 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 6 min 34
Today, 6 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 7 min 37
Today, 5 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 15 min 39
Today, 4 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 38 min 38
Today, 3 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 56 min 36
Today, 2 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 3 min 36
Today, 1 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 27 min 35
Today, 12 AM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 27 min 33
Yesterday, 11 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 7 min 32
Yesterday, 10 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 19 min 28
Yesterday, 9 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 20 min 30
Yesterday, 8 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 2 min 36
Yesterday, 7 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 1 hr 57 min 39
Yesterday, 6 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 22 min 37
Yesterday, 5 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 15 min 42
Yesterday, 4 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 18 min 41
Yesterday, 3 PM
avg. of 4 readings
 2 hr 8 min 37
Departments & services
  • Accident and emergency (A&E)
  • Breast Surgery
  • Cardiology
  • Cardiothoracic surgery
  • Children's & Adolescent Services
  • Dentistry and Orthodontics
  • Diabetic Medicine
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Diagnostic Physiological Measurement
  • Dietetics
  • Ear, Nose & Throat
  • Endocrinology and Metabolic Medicine
  • Gastrointestinal and Liver services
  • General Surgery
  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Gynaecology
  • Haematology
  • Health Promotion
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Mental Health - Adults of all ages
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Obstetrics
  • Ophthalmology
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
  • Orthopaedics
  • Pain Management
  • Physiotherapy
  • Plastic surgery
  • Rehabilitation
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Rheumatology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Urology
  • Vascular surgery
Recent visitor feedbackreported by visitors
Overall
61% would recommend this department
Staff
84% say staff were friendly and helpful
63% were not kept informed about their wait
65% say they were triaged quickly
Environment
95% say the waiting area was clean
83% say the toilets were clean
94% felt safe in the waiting area
Family
50% say there is a children’s play area
94% say there is a separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
70% say there is enough seating
63% say there is no TV
81% say food and drink is available nearby
72% say there are no phone charging points
85% say free WiFi is available
58% say mobile signal is poor
Parking
67% found parking easily
Payment accepted: card, app
Based on 21 visitor responses in the last 6 months. This information is collected through a short anonymous survey shown to visitors on this page.
Visitor experiencesshared by visitors

“The staff very busy waiting 6 hours could not sort me out had to be sent to another hospital”

Valerie · 3 weeks ago

About North Devon District Hospital

North Devon District Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to all ages, on Raleigh Park in Barnstaple, Devon, part of Royal Devon University Healthcare 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 35 listed departments and services, from Breast Surgery to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement, last inspected in July 2021. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Requires Improvement when they were last inspected in September 2019. Over the past 28 days, waits here have typically been shortest around 11am and longest around 2am, a gap of about 2 hours 40 minutes. The site lists 1,260 parking spaces, 41 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £1.08 an hour. In our visitor surveys, 61% would recommend this department, 84% found staff friendly and helpful and 95% said the waiting area was clean. Visitors also report that children get a separate waiting area.

Official NHS performance

50.2%seen within 4 hours
13,099attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for Royal Devon University Healthcare 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.

The trust's general and acute wards averaged 94.7% 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
2023-24139,86811,65655.1%955
2024-25146,96812,24759.9%1,094
2025-26153,72312,81057.8%2,507
2026-27 (6 months)80,11413,35253.8%1,425

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances rose 10% and the share seen within four hours improved by 2.7 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check the current A&E wait time at North Devon District Hospital?

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

When is the A&E at North Devon District Hospital quietest?

Based on the last 28 days of readings at North Devon District Hospital, waits are usually lowest around 11am and highest around 2am. 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 North Devon District 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 North Devon District Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 50.2% 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 North Devon District Hospital open 24 hours?

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

Where is North Devon District Hospital and how do I get there?

North Devon District Hospital is at Raleigh Park, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4JB. For general enquiries call 01271 322577. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at North Devon District Hospital?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £1.08 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 1,260 parking spaces, including 41 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 North Devon District Hospital?

North Devon District 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 July 2021. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Requires Improvement when they were last inspected in September 2019. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at North Devon District 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 North Devon District Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - North Devon District Hospital 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 Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. These figures reach us through a partner NHS data feed rather than a page we check directly, and are refreshed every 15 minutes. Data was last checked at 2:12pm on 26 Oct 2026. A full list of every source we use, and when each was last checked, is on our data sources page.

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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