A&E

Haywards Heath A&E Live Waiting Times

Princess Royal Hospital

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Latest report
8 hr
17 Jul 02:35
Average
6 hr 46 min
6 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
Sittingbourne MIU
43.0 mi away
Long wait
Sheppey MIU
48.2 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Children's A&E
54.5 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital A&E
54.5 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Same Day Emergency Care A&E
54.5 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Royal Sussex County Hospital, Edenbridge War Memorial Hospital and East Surrey Hospital.

Contact & location
Lewes Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 4EX
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
Haywards Heath Rail Station24 min walk to A&E
Wivelsfield Rail Station46 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
21 routes·7 operators·5 stops within walking distance
Princess Royal Hospital (o/s, westbound)2 min walk to A&E
149The Big Lemon CICScaynes Hill ↔ South Chailey
166Compass TravelLewes ↔ Cuckfield
270Go-AheadBrighton ↔ East Grinstead
270Metrobus
271Go-AheadKemp Town ↔ Crawley
271Metrobus
272Go-AheadKemp Town ↔ Crawley
272Metrobus
3Handcross District CommuHaywards Heath ↔ Slaugham
30Compass TravelHaywards Heath
31Compass TravelUckfield ↔ Cuckfield
31ACompass TravelUckfield ↔ Cuckfield
33Compass TravelHurstpierpoint ↔ Cuckfield
33ACompass TravelCuckfield ↔ Hurstpierpoint
39Compass TravelHaywards Heath
62Compass TravelHaywards Heath ↔ Crawley
89Compass TravelHaywards Heath ↔ Horsham
STP1Sussex CoachesHaywards Heath ↔ Burgess Hill
STP2Sussex CoachesBurgess Hill ↔ Cowfold
Princess Royal Hospital (opp, eastbound)2 min walk to A&E
149Seaford and District Motor Services Ltd
149The Big Lemon CICSouth Chailey ↔ Scaynes Hill
166Compass TravelCuckfield ↔ Lewes
3Handcross District CommuSlaugham ↔ Haywards Heath
30Compass TravelHaywards Heath
31Compass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
31ACompass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
31BCompass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
39Compass TravelHaywards Heath
62Compass TravelCrawley ↔ Haywards Heath
89Compass TravelHorsham ↔ Haywards Heath
STP1Sussex CoachesBurgess Hill ↔ Haywards Heath
STP2Sussex CoachesCowfold ↔ Burgess Hill
Dellney Avenue (adj, south-east)4 min walk to A&E
149The Big Lemon CICSouth Chailey ↔ Scaynes Hill
166Compass TravelCuckfield ↔ Lewes
270Go-AheadEast Grinstead ↔ Brighton
270Metrobus
271Go-AheadCrawley ↔ Kemp Town
271Metrobus
272Go-AheadCrawley ↔ Kemp Town
272Metrobus
3Handcross District CommuSlaugham ↔ Haywards Heath
31Compass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
31ACompass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
31BCompass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
33Compass TravelHaywards Heath ↔ Hurstpierpoint
33ACompass TravelCuckfield ↔ Hurstpierpoint
39Compass TravelHaywards Heath
62Compass TravelCrawley ↔ Haywards Heath
89Compass TravelHorsham ↔ Haywards Heath
STP2Sussex CoachesCowfold ↔ Burgess Hill
Woodridge Close (opp, south-west)4 min walk to A&E
31Compass TravelUckfield ↔ Cuckfield
31ACompass TravelUckfield ↔ Cuckfield
62Compass TravelHaywards Heath ↔ Crawley
89Compass TravelHaywards Heath ↔ Horsham
STP1Sussex CoachesHaywards Heath ↔ Burgess Hill
STP2Sussex CoachesBurgess Hill ↔ Cowfold
Woodridge Close (adj, north-east)4 min walk to A&E
31Compass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
31ACompass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
31BCompass TravelCuckfield ↔ Uckfield
62Compass TravelCrawley ↔ Haywards Heath
89Compass TravelHorsham ↔ Haywards Heath
STP1Sussex CoachesBurgess Hill ↔ Haywards Heath
STP2Sussex CoachesCowfold ↔ Burgess Hill
Plan journey by public transport
Recent visitor feedbackreported by visitors
Overall
5 of 8 would not recommend this department
Staff
6 of 8 say staff were friendly and helpful
82% were not kept informed about their wait
60% say they were triaged quickly
Environment
7 of 9 say the waiting area was clean
6 of 8 say the toilets were clean
9 of 9 felt safe in the waiting area
Family
4 of 8 say there is no children’s play area
5 of 8 say there is a separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
5 of 8 say there is not enough seating
6 of 9 say there is no TV
6 of 8 say food and drink is available nearby
6 of 9 say there are phone charging points
100% say free WiFi is available
6 of 9 say mobile signal is poor
Parking
55% say parking was busy
5 of 9 paid £3–5 for parking
Payment accepted: card, app
Based on 11 visitor responses in the last 6 months. This information is collected through a short anonymous survey shown to visitors on this page.

About Princess Royal Hospital

Princess Royal Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to 17 years or over, on Lewes Road in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, part of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. The wider site runs 20 listed departments and services, from Cardiology to Urology.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement, last inspected in January 1900. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Good when they were last inspected in January 2019. In our visitor surveys, 75% found staff friendly and helpful and 78% said the waiting area was clean. Visitors also report that children get a separate waiting area.

Official NHS performance

57.2%seen within 4 hours
28,715attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for University Hospitals Sussex 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.

In the NHS Friends and Family Test for August 2026, 77% of 1,139 patients who responded across the trust reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 95.9% 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
2023-24279,67023,30658.2%11,806
2024-25275,15422,93057.8%13,526
2025-26321,53626,79561.2%8,849
2026-27 (6 months)170,70928,45258.9%5,626

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances rose 15% and the share seen within four hours improved by 3.0 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check the current A&E wait time at Princess Royal Hospital?

The live waiting time for the A&E at Princess Royal 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 Princess Royal 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 Princess Royal 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 Princess Royal Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 57.2% of patients across the trust's A&E departments were seen within four hours.

How often are the waiting times on this page updated?

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 Princess Royal Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

Is the A&E at Princess Royal Hospital open 24 hours?

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

Where is Princess Royal Hospital and how do I get there?

Princess Royal Hospital is at Lewes Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 4EX. For general enquiries call 01444 441881. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

What is the CQC rating for Princess Royal Hospital?

Princess Royal 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 January 1900. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Good when they were last inspected in January 2019. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at Princess Royal Hospital A&E?

This A&E serves: 17 years or over. 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.
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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