A&E waiting times in England: September 2026 figures explained
Published 31 October 2026 · Figures from NHS England, September 2026 (published 2026-10-08)
New official figures show how long people waited in A&E departments in England in September 2026. Here is what the numbers mean and how they compare with earlier months.
The 4-hour measure
The main A&E measure counts how many patients were admitted to hospital, transferred elsewhere or discharged within 4 hours of arriving. In September 2026, 74.4% of 2,444,743 attendances in England met this mark.
That is down from 75.0% in August 2026, and lower than the 75.1% recorded in September 2025. The NHS constitution standard is 95% within 4 hours, so performance remains below that standard.
Major A&E departments
The overall figure includes all types of urgent and emergency care, such as minor injury units and urgent treatment centres. Type 1 departments are the major, consultant-led A&E units that provide a full emergency service. These usually see patients with more serious conditions, and waits there tend to be longer. In September 2026, 60.6% of patients at type 1 departments in England were admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours.
12-hour waits for a bed
A separate measure looks at patients who need to be admitted. It counts the time from when doctors decide a patient should be admitted to when they actually get a bed on a ward. In September 2026, 50,582 patients waited more than 12 hours from that decision, compared with 44,951 the previous month.
In total, 401,316 emergency admissions came through A&E in September 2026.
Differences between trusts
In September 2026, 120 trusts with a major (type 1) A&E reported figures. Results varied widely across the country.
The highest 4-hour figures were reported by:
- Northumbria Healthcare: 90.8%
- Sheffield Children's: 90.3%
- West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals: 87.2%
The lowest were reported by:
- Surrey and Sussex Healthcare: 52.1%
- The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital: 51.0%
- East Cheshire: 49.8%
Trusts serve different populations and offer different mixes of services. For example, a children's hospital treats a different group of patients from a general hospital. This means the figures are not always directly comparable and should not be read as a judgement on the quality of care.
Find figures near you
You can look up the latest figures on our A&E waiting times by trust page. You can also search waiting times by town or browse our list of NHS trusts.
Waiting Times UK is an independent site and is not part of the NHS. If you need urgent medical help, contact NHS services directly.
Explore the data
This article summarises published statistics. It is not medical advice: contact your GP, NHS 111 or, in an emergency, 999.