A&E Trauma Unit

Royal Free Hospital (London) A&E Waiting Times

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Latest report
7 hr
30 Sep 21:25
Average
6 hr 48 min
11 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 Children's A&E
18.5 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital A&E
18.5 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Same Day Emergency Care A&E
18.5 mi away
Long wait
Milton Keynes Hospital A&E
40.7 mi away
Long wait
Milton Keynes Children's A&E
40.7 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including The Whittington Hospital, University College Hospital and St Mary's Hospital (Hq).

Contact & location
Pond Street, London, NW3 2QG
Switchboard: 020 7794 0500
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
Hampstead Heath Station3 min walk to A&E
Gospel Oak Station14 min walk to A&E
Finchley Road & Frognal Station16 min walk to A&E
Kentish Town West Station20 min walk to A&E
South Hampstead Station21 min walk to A&E
Metro / tram
Belsize Park Underground Station6 min walk to A&E
Hampstead Underground Station12 min walk to A&E
Finchley Road Underground Station16 min walk to A&E
Swiss Cottage Underground Station16 min walk to A&E
Chalk Farm Underground Station18 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
7 routes·5 operators·5 stops within walking distance
Royal Free Hospital (Stop D, westbound)1 min walk to A&E
1Go-AheadHampstead ↔ Canada Water
268Metroline TravelGolders Green ↔ South Hampstead
46Metroline TravelCity of London ↔ Paddington
C11Metroline TravelArchway ↔ Brent Cross
N5First Bus LondonEdgware ↔ Charing Cross
SReplacement ServiceStratford New Town ↔ Richmond
Royal Free Hospital (Stop C, eastbound)1 min walk to A&E
1Go-AheadCanada Water ↔ Hampstead
268Metroline TravelSouth Hampstead ↔ Golders Green
46Metroline TravelPaddington ↔ City of London
C11Metroline TravelBrent Cross ↔ Archway
N5First Bus LondonCharing Cross ↔ Edgware
South End Green (Stop X, northbound)1 min walk to A&E
1Go-AheadCanada Water ↔ Hampstead
South End Green (Stop B, eastbound)2 min walk to A&E
46Metroline TravelPaddington ↔ City of London
C11Metroline TravelBrent Cross ↔ Archway
South End Green (Stop A, eastbound)2 min walk to A&E
24Abellio LondonHampstead ↔ Pimlico
Plan journey by public transport
What’s available here
Accessibility
Disabled ParkingDisabled WcInduction LoopSigning Service AvailableWheelchair Access
Accommodation
Access To TvPublic TelephoneSingle Sex Accommodation Only
Parking
Car ParkingCycle ParkingDisabled Parking
Faith Services
On-Site ChapelPrayer Area
Food and Amenities
CafePharmacyShop

About Royal Free Hospital

Royal Free Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to all ages, on Pond Street in London, Greater London, part of Royal Free London 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 57 listed departments and services, from Acute Internal Medicine to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement, last inspected in January 2023. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Requires Improvement when they were last inspected in May 2019. The site lists 374 parking spaces, 24 of them designated disabled bays, with patient parking averaging £3.27 an hour.

Official NHS performance

70.2%seen within 4 hours
27,458attendances in September 2026
60.4%England average for major A&Es

NHS England publishes these figures for Royal Free London 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, 85% of 724 patients who responded at this site reported a positive experience. The trust's general and acute wards averaged 98.6% 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
2023-24196,54116,37854.1%7,884
2024-25233,04519,42062.1%12,057
2025-26313,77626,14866.4%22,650
2026-27 (6 months)160,86026,81070.9%11,408

Frequently asked questions

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

The live waiting time for the A&E at Royal Free 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 Free 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 Free 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 Free Hospital is doing right now. NHS England's most recent figures (September 2026) show 70.2% 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 Royal Free Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

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

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

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

Royal Free Hospital is at Pond Street, London, NW3 2QG. For general enquiries call 020 7794 0500. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at Royal Free Hospital?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £3.27 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 374 parking spaces, including 24 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 Free Hospital?

Royal Free 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 2023. It rated the hospital's urgent and emergency services Requires Improvement when they were last inspected in May 2019. You can read the full CQC report.

Can children be treated at Royal Free 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 Royal Free Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - Royal Free 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