A&E Trauma Unit

Bolton A&E Live Waiting Times

Royal Bolton Hospital

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

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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Community reported wait times

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Past NHS Data

This hospital previously had a live data feed. The averages below are based on 100 past readings. Last live update: 21 Mar 08:27.

3 hr 59 min
overall average
4 hr
longest recorded
Nearby A&E & urgent care
Warrington Hospital A&E
13.3 mi away
Moderate wait
Runcorn Urgent Treatment Centre
19.3 mi away
Long wait
Leighton Hospital A&E
30.2 mi away
Long wait
Leek MIU
35.7 mi away
Short wait
Haywood Hospital Walk-in Centre
35.7 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Leigh, Prestwich and Salford Royal.

Contact & location
Minerva Road, Farnworth, Bolton, Lancashire, BL4 0JR
Switchboard: 01204 390390
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
Moses Gate Rail Station25 min walk to A&E
Farnworth Rail Station36 min walk to A&E
Kearsley Rail Station48 min walk to A&E
Atherton Rail Station53 min walk to A&E
Walkden Rail Station55 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
5 routes·2 operators·5 stops within walking distance
Royal Bolton Hospital (Stop C, eastbound)1 min walk to A&E
501Transport for Greater ManchesterFarnworth ↔ Johnson Fold Estate
521Transport for Greater ManchesterBlackrod ↔ Little Lever
521Bee Network
557Transport for Greater ManchesterRoyal Bolton Hospital ↔ Ringley
557Bee Network
Royal Bolton Hospital (Stop D, westbound)1 min walk to A&E
501Transport for Greater ManchesterJohnson Fold Estate ↔ Farnworth
521Transport for Greater ManchesterLittle Lever ↔ Blackrod
Kinlay Road (Stop F, westbound)2 min walk to A&E
501Transport for Greater ManchesterJohnson Fold Estate ↔ Farnworth
521Transport for Greater ManchesterLittle Lever ↔ Blackrod
557Transport for Greater ManchesterRingley ↔ Royal Bolton Hospital
Kitchener Way (Stop A, northbound)2 min walk to A&E
501Transport for Greater ManchesterFarnworth ↔ Johnson Fold Estate
521Transport for Greater ManchesterBlackrod ↔ Little Lever
521Bee Network
Kinlay Road (Stop E, eastbound)3 min walk to A&E
501Transport for Greater ManchesterFarnworth ↔ Johnson Fold Estate
521Transport for Greater ManchesterBlackrod ↔ Little Lever
521Bee Network
557Transport for Greater ManchesterRoyal Bolton Hospital ↔ Ringley
557Bee Network
Plan journey by public transport
What’s available here
Accessibility
Disabled ParkingDisabled WcInduction LoopSigning Service AvailableStep Free AccessWheelchair Access
Accommodation
Access To TvFamily AccommodationInternet AccessMobile Phones PermittedPublic TelephoneSingle Sex Accommodation Only
Parking
Car ParkingCycle ParkingDisabled Parking
Faith Services
On-Site ChapelPrayer Area
Food and Amenities
CafePharmacyShop
Recent visitor feedbackreported by visitors
Overall
3 of 5 would recommend this department
Staff
4 of 6 say staff were friendly and helpful
6 of 6 were not kept informed about their wait
3 of 5 say they were triaged quickly
Environment
4 of 6 say the waiting area was clean
4 of 5 say the toilets were clean
4 of 6 felt safe in the waiting area
Family
4 of 5 say there is no children’s play area
3 of 5 say there is a separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
3 of 4 say there is enough seating
2 of 3 say there is no TV
3 of 4 say food and drink is available nearby
2 of 3 say there are no phone charging points
4 of 4 say free WiFi is available
3 of 3 say mobile signal is good
Parking
1 of 3 had to park elsewhere
Based on 6 visitor responses in the last 6 months. This information is collected through a short anonymous survey shown to visitors on this page.

About Royal Bolton Hospital

Royal Bolton Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to 16 years or over, on Minerva Road in Bolton, Greater Manchester, part of Bolton 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 41 listed departments and services, from Breast cancer services to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Good, last inspected in May 2023. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Good when they were last inspected in April 2019. The site lists 2,410 parking spaces, 117 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £2.11 an hour. In our visitor surveys, 60% would recommend this department, 67% found staff friendly and helpful and 67% said the waiting area was clean. Visitors also report that children get a separate waiting area.

Official NHS performance

51.3%seen within 4 hours
8,867attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for Bolton 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, 82% of 1,290 patients who responded at this site reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 88.4% 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
2023-24106,7088,89255.3%6,885
2024-2594,3567,86350.8%6,520
2025-2698,3448,19551.5%4,245
2026-27 (6 months)51,0818,51456.4%2,942

Between 2023-24 and 2025-26, monthly A&E attendances fell 8% and the share seen within four hours fell by 3.9 percentage points.

Frequently asked questions

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

The live waiting time for the A&E at Royal Bolton 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 Royal Bolton 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 Royal Bolton 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 Royal Bolton Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 51.3% 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 Royal Bolton Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

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

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

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

Royal Bolton Hospital is at Minerva Road, Farnworth, Bolton, Lancashire, BL4 0JR. For general enquiries call 01204 390390. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at Royal Bolton Hospital?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £2.11 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 2,410 parking spaces, including 117 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 Royal Bolton Hospital?

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

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

This A&E serves: 16 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.

Is Royal Bolton Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - Royal Bolton 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 previously had a live data feed but is no longer being updated. Historical averages from past NHS data are shown below. Current waiting times are reported by visitors and may not reflect actual 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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