A&E Trauma Unit

The Whittington Hospital (London) A&E Waiting Times

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Latest report
7 hr 30 min
01 Oct 18:02
Average
7 hr 13 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
Princess Alexandra Hospital Same Day Emergency Care A&E
17.2 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital A&E
17.2 mi away
Long wait
Princess Alexandra Hospital Children's A&E
17.2 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 Royal Free Hospital, University College Hospital and St Mary's Hospital (Hq).

Contact & location
Highgate Hill, London, Greater London, N19 5NF
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
Upper Holloway Station10 min walk to A&E
Gospel Oak Station19 min walk to A&E
Crouch Hill Station21 min walk to A&E
Kentish Town22 min walk to A&E
Hampstead Heath Station28 min walk to A&E
Metro / tram
Archway Underground Station5 min walk to A&E
Tufnell Park Underground Station14 min walk to A&E
Highgate Underground Station16 min walk to A&E
Kentish Town Underground Station23 min walk to A&E
Finsbury Park Underground Station29 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
8 routes·2 operators·5 stops within walking distance
Magdala Avenue / Dartmouth Park Hill (Stop HQ, eastbound)2 min walk to A&E
4Metroline TravelBlackfriars ↔ Archway
C11Metroline TravelBrent Cross ↔ Archway
Magdala Avenue / Dartmouth Park Hill (Stop HJ, westbound)2 min walk to A&E
4Metroline TravelArchway ↔ Blackfriars
C11Metroline TravelArchway ↔ Brent Cross
Whittington Hosp / Magdala Ave (Stop A, north-west)2 min walk to A&E
143Metroline TravelArchway ↔ Brent Cross
210Metroline TravelFinsbury Park ↔ Brent Cross
263Metroline TravelHolloway ↔ High Barnet
310StagecoachStamford Hill ↔ Golders Green
N263Metroline TravelOld Street ↔ North Finchley
W5StagecoachArchway ↔ Harringay
Whittington Hosp / Magdala Ave (Stop B, south-east)2 min walk to A&E
143Metroline TravelBrent Cross ↔ Archway
210Metroline TravelBrent Cross ↔ Finsbury Park
263Metroline TravelHigh Barnet ↔ Holloway
310StagecoachGolders Green ↔ Stamford Hill
N263Metroline TravelNorth Finchley ↔ Old Street
W5StagecoachHarringay ↔ Archway
Whittington Hospital (Stop J, south-west)2 min walk to A&E
4Metroline TravelArchway ↔ Blackfriars
C11Metroline TravelArchway ↔ Brent Cross
Plan journey by public transport
Recent visitor feedbackreported by visitors
Staff
Staff are friendly and helpful
Not always kept informed about wait times
Triage can be slow
Environment
Waiting area is clean
Waiting area can feel unsafe
Family
No separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
Enough seating in the waiting area
TV in the waiting area
Food and drink available nearby
Phone charging points available
No free WiFi
Mobile signal is good
Parking
Parking often requires parking elsewhere
Based on 1 visitor response in the last 6 months. This information is collected through a short anonymous survey shown to visitors on this page.

About The Whittington Hospital

The Whittington Hospital runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to all ages, on Highgate Hill 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 51 listed departments and services, from Bariatric surgery to Vascular surgery.

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, 79% of 2,242 patients who responded across the trust 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 The Whittington Hospital?

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

Is the A&E at The Whittington Hospital open 24 hours?

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

Where is The Whittington Hospital and how do I get there?

The Whittington Hospital is at Highgate Hill, London, Greater London, N19 5NF. For general enquiries call 020 7272 3070. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Can children be treated at The Whittington 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 The Whittington Hospital a Major Trauma Centre?

No - The Whittington 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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