A&E Trauma Unit

Westcliff-on-Sea A&E Live Waiting Times

Southend Hospital

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Latest report
3 hr
30 Aug 00:30
Average
4 hr 58 min
3 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
Sheppey MIU
10.6 mi away
Long wait
Sittingbourne MIU
15.3 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Children's A&E
29.8 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital A&E
29.8 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Same Day Emergency Care A&E
29.8 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Basildon Hospital, Medway Maritime Hospital and Gravesend.

Contact & location
Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 0RY
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
Prittlewell Rail Station19 min walk to A&E
Westcliff-on-Sea Rail Station23 min walk to A&E
Southend Airport Rail Station25 min walk to A&E
Southend Victoria Rail Station26 min walk to A&E
Chalkwell Rail Station27 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
22 routes·6 operators·5 stops within walking distance
Southend Hospital South (Stop D, eastbound)2 min walk to A&E
26First BusHadleigh ↔ Shoeburyness
625First BusChelmsford ↔ Prittlewell
625First Essex
7Arriva UK BusGreat Wakering ↔ Rayleigh
7Arriva Thameside
8Arriva UK BusGreat Wakering ↔ Rayleigh
Southend Hospital South (Stop C, eastbound)2 min walk to A&E
20First BusHullbridge ↔ Southend-on-Sea
20SFirst BusHullbridge ↔ Southend-on-Sea
21First BusCanvey ↔ Southend-on-Sea
21SFirst BusCanvey ↔ Southend-on-Sea
25First BusBasildon Town Centre ↔ Southend-on-Sea
3First BusChelmsford ↔ Southend-on-Sea
3First Essex
51NIBSbuses LimitedChafford Hundred ↔ Prittlewell
513Stephensons of EssexWitham ↔ Southchurch
7Arriva UK BusRayleigh ↔ Great Wakering
8Arriva UK BusRayleigh ↔ Great Wakering
8Arriva Thameside
825First BusBasildon Town Centre ↔ Southend-on-Sea
827First BusCanvey ↔ Southend-on-Sea
X30First BusChelmsford City Centre ↔ Southend-on-Sea
Southend Hospital South (Stop B, westbound)3 min walk to A&E
20First BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Hullbridge
20First Essex
20SFirst BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Hullbridge
21First BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Canvey
21SFirst BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Canvey
25First BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Basildon Town Centre
26First BusShoeburyness ↔ Hadleigh
26First Essex
3First BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Chelmsford
51NIBSbuses LimitedPrittlewell ↔ Chafford Hundred
513Stephensons of EssexSouthchurch ↔ Witham
625First BusPrittlewell ↔ Chelmsford
825First BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Basildon Town Centre
825First Essex
827First BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Canvey
X30First BusSouthend-on-Sea ↔ Chelmsford City Centre
Southend Hospital North (Stop H, westbound)4 min walk to A&E
Southend Hospital North (Stop G, eastbound)4 min walk to A&E
Plan journey by public transport
What’s available here
Accessibility
Braille Translation ServiceDisabled ParkingDisabled WcInduction LoopSigning Service AvailableWheelchair Access
Accommodation
Access To TvInternet AccessMobile Phones PermittedPublic TelephoneSingle Sex Accommodation Only
Food and amenities
CafePatient LibraryPharmacyShop
Parking
Car ParkingCycle ParkingDisabled Parking

About Southend Hospital

Southend Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to under 16 years, on Prittlewell Chase in Westcliff-on-Sea, 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 47 listed departments and services, from Breast cancer services to Vascular surgery.

The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement. The site lists 1,461 parking spaces, 60 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, 79% of 649 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 Southend Hospital?

The live waiting time for the A&E at Southend 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 Southend 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 Southend 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 Southend 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 Southend Hospital recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

Is the A&E at Southend Hospital open 24 hours?

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

Where is Southend Hospital and how do I get there?

Southend Hospital is at Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 0RY. For general enquiries call 01702 435555. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Is parking free at Southend Hospital?

No - patient and visitor parking here averages about £1.33 an hour (NHS estates return, 2024-25). The site lists 1,461 parking spaces, including 60 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 Southend Hospital?

Southend 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 Southend 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 Southend Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - Southend 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.
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