A&E Major Trauma Centre

Cardiff A&E Live Waiting Times

University Hospital Of Wales

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Latest report
12 hr 45 min
18 Aug 09:47
Average
9 hr 55 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
Burnham On Sea MIU
20.4 mi away
Short wait
Minehead Urgent Treatment Centre
24.2 mi away
Long wait
Bridgwater Urgent Treatment Centre
27.0 mi away
Long wait
West Mendip (Glastonbury) Urgent Treatment Centre
32.0 mi away
Long wait
Musgrove Park Hospital A&E
34.4 mi away
Long wait

There are also other nearby A&Es which collect wait times from the community, including Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr, Royal Glamorgan Hospital and Royal Gwent Hospital.

Contact & location
Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XW
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
Heath Low Level Rail Station14 min walk to A&E
Heath High Level Rail Station15 min walk to A&E
Ty Glas Rail Station21 min walk to A&E
Birchgrove Rail Station23 min walk to A&E
Cathays Rail Station28 min walk to A&E
Bus stops
13 routes·2 operators·5 stops within walking distance
University Hospital of Wales (o/s, eastbound)2 min walk to A&E
Hospital (opp, westbound)2 min walk to A&E
101Cardiff BusPenylan ↔ Cardiff Bus Station
102Cardiff BusPenylan ↔ Cardiff Bus Station
2Cardiff BusCardiff
26StagecoachCardiff ↔ Blackwood
7Cardiff BusUniversity Hospital of Wales ↔ Penarth
86XStagecoachUniversity Hospital of Wales ↔ Caerphilly
9Cardiff BusUniversity Hospital of Wales ↔ Grangetown
Heath Hospital Main Entrance (o/s, southbound)2 min walk to A&E
1Cardiff BusCardiff
101Cardiff BusCardiff Bus Station ↔ Penylan
102Cardiff BusCardiff Bus Station ↔ Penylan
14Cardiff BusCaerau ↔ University Hospital of Wales
26StagecoachBlackwood ↔ Cardiff
54Cardiff BusRumney ↔ University Hospital of Wales
7Cardiff BusPenarth ↔ University Hospital of Wales
86Cardiff BusCardiff Bus Station ↔ Thornhill
86XStagecoachCaerphilly ↔ University Hospital of Wales
9Cardiff BusGrangetown ↔ University Hospital of Wales
XStagecoachSenghenydd ↔ Cardiff
Dental Hospital (o/s, northbound)3 min walk to A&E
101Cardiff BusPenylan ↔ Cardiff Bus Station
102Cardiff BusPenylan ↔ Cardiff Bus Station
2Cardiff BusCardiff
26StagecoachCardiff ↔ Blackwood
7Cardiff BusUniversity Hospital of Wales ↔ Penarth
86Cardiff BusCardiff Bus Station ↔ Thornhill
86XStagecoachUniversity Hospital of Wales ↔ Caerphilly
9Cardiff BusUniversity Hospital of Wales ↔ Grangetown
95Cardiff BusBarry ↔ University Hospital of Wales
Childrens Unit (opp, southbound)3 min walk to A&E
1Cardiff BusCardiff
101Cardiff BusCardiff Bus Station ↔ Penylan
102Cardiff BusCardiff Bus Station ↔ Penylan
14Cardiff BusCaerau ↔ University Hospital of Wales
26StagecoachBlackwood ↔ Cardiff
54Cardiff BusRumney ↔ University Hospital of Wales
7Cardiff BusPenarth ↔ University Hospital of Wales
86Cardiff BusCardiff Bus Station ↔ Thornhill
86XStagecoachCaerphilly ↔ University Hospital of Wales
9Cardiff BusGrangetown ↔ University Hospital of Wales
XStagecoachSenghenydd ↔ Cardiff
Plan journey by public transport
Recent visitor feedbackreported by visitors
Overall
Not recommended by visitors
Staff
Staff can be unhelpful
Not always kept informed about wait times
Triage can be slow
Environment
Waiting area is clean
Toilets could be cleaner
Waiting area feels safe
Family
No children’s play area
No separate children’s waiting area
Facilities
Seating can be limited
No TV in the waiting area
No food or drink available nearby
No phone charging points
Free WiFi is available
Mobile signal is poor
Parking
Parking often requires parking elsewhere
Based on 2 visitor responses in the last 6 months. This information is collected through a short anonymous survey shown to visitors on this page.

About University Hospital Of Wales

University Hospital Of Wales runs a 24-hour accident and emergency department, open to adults and children, on Heath Park in Cardiff, South Glamorgan, part of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. It is also a designated Major Trauma Centre - the tier of hospital equipped for life-threatening injuries and complex emergency surgery, which is why ambulances will sometimes drive past closer A&Es to bring the most severely injured patients here.

Official NHS Wales performance

54.9%seen within 4 hours
10,954attendances in August 2026
50.5%Wales average for major emergency departments

Digital Health and Care Wales publishes these figures monthly; this is the site's own return for August 2026. That is above the Wales average of 50.5% for major emergency departments over the same month. Wales also reports longer thresholds: 79.5% of patients here were seen within 8 hours and 90.0% within 12 hours.

Attendances by year

NHS yearAttendancesMonthly averageWithin 4 hours
2009-10 (6 months)61,68310,28087.5%
2010-11125,13310,42884.5%
2011-12128,31410,69383.1%
2012-13131,04810,92185.7%
2013-14128,78510,73291.0%
2014-15125,26210,43883.5%
2015-16127,99310,66679.8%
2016-17130,36010,86382.7%
2017-18134,54511,21282.6%
2018-19139,37111,61485.4%
2019-20140,72411,72781.1%
2020-21103,8908,65880.8%
2021-22130,25410,85465.7%
2022-23138,29011,52462.0%
2023-24135,85111,32167.4%
2024-25133,27511,10660.3%
2025-26135,34811,27958.8%
2026-27 (5 months)57,40511,48157.7%

Frequently asked questions

How do I check the current A&E wait time at University Hospital Of Wales?

The live waiting time for the A&E at University Hospital Of Wales 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 University Hospital Of Wales 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 University Hospital Of Wales 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. In Wales the target is for 95% of patients to spend less than four hours in the emergency department, though busy departments can exceed this. The live figure on this page shows how University Hospital Of Wales is doing right now. The most recent official figure for this site (August 2026) is 54.9% of patients 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 University Hospital Of Wales recently, submitting your wait takes a few seconds and helps others plan.

Is the A&E at University Hospital Of Wales open 24 hours?

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

Where is University Hospital Of Wales and how do I get there?

University Hospital Of Wales is at Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XW. For general enquiries call 029 2074 7747. Enter your postcode in the Getting here section for a door-to-door route.

Can children be treated at University Hospital Of Wales A&E?

This A&E serves: Adults and children. 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 University Hospital Of Wales a Major Trauma Centre?

Yes - University Hospital Of Wales is a designated Major Trauma Centre, equipped for the most serious emergencies including major injuries and complex surgery. The most severely injured patients in the region are taken here, sometimes bypassing closer hospitals.
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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