Wait times at the hospital and what’s changing in 2025

You probably want to know how long you will wait at the hospital today. Here are the latest NHS figures:

• You can expect an average wait of 13.3 weeks for planned treatment.

• In A&E, 75.4% of patients get seen within four hours.

• Each day, 58,270 people are admitted, transferred, or discharged within this time.

These numbers show that wait times at the hospital can vary, but you have access to the latest updates.

Key Takeaways

• The average wait time for planned treatment is now 13.3 weeks. You can check live updates to see the best time to go.

• In 2025, the NHS wants 65% of patients to wait less than 18 weeks. Keep up with these changes to manage your care well.

• Digital tools like the NHS App help you check wait times and book appointments. Use these tools to skip long waits and plan your visits.

• Staff shortages and high demand make wait times longer. Check which hospitals have more staff and better resources before you go.

• You can use urgent care services in your area to avoid extra hospital visits. This lets hospitals help the most urgent cases first.

NHS Waiting Times

A&E Wait Times

Hospital emergency departments have longer waits now. The average NHS A&E wait is 5 hours and 18 minutes. Last year, over 1.5 million people in England waited at least 12 hours in A&E. Some hospitals say one in four patients wait 12 hours or more. Sometimes, people have waited up to 16 hours. More than a third of NHS trusts have average waits of 5 hours or more. Since 2020, the average wait across NHS trusts has gone up by half.

Tip: You can check live A&E wait times on NHSquicker or hospital apps before you go. This helps you see waiting times and pick the best place for urgent care.

Outpatient Appointments

You might need an outpatient appointment for a specialist or follow-up care. NHS waiting times for these appointments have changed over time. In 2023-24, NHS hospitals saw a record 3.6 million outpatient appointments. But more people are waiting for new appointments now. Since 2019-20, the number has gone up by 60%, reaching about 775,000. In July 2025, the middle waiting time for NHS treatments was 21.1 weeks. This is a little higher than the month before.

Note: You can use NHS digital tools to check your appointment status and get updates on hospital waiting times.

Elective Surgeries

If you need a planned operation, you will join the NHS waiting list for elective surgery. The longest wait for non-urgent NHS treatments is 18 weeks. But 2,665,004 people have waited longer than this. The NHS England waiting list now has 6.8 million people. Waiting times for different operations are not the same. For example, you might wait about 107 days for knee surgery. Hip surgery takes about 104 days. Tonsillectomy takes about 93 days.

NHS hospitals try to meet the 18-week maximum waiting time. High demand and not enough resources can cause delays.

Regional Differences

Hospital waiting times are not the same everywhere. NHS waiting times in England are usually shorter than in Wales or Northern Ireland. For outpatient appointments, about 33% of patients in Wales and Northern Ireland wait more than six months. Almost no one in England waits this long. For elective surgeries, 16% of patients in Wales and 22% in Northern Ireland wait over a year. In England, no one waits this long.

NHS trusts can have very different wait times. Some trusts have much longer waits than others. Local population, leadership, and hospital organisation all matter. You can use NHSquicker and other hospital apps to compare waiting times and find the best place for your care.

Factors Affecting Wait Times

Staffing

Staffing is very important for hospital wait times. The nhs has a 7.5% vacancy rate. This means about 31,773 nursing jobs are empty. There are 121,000 full-time staff missing across the nhs. These shortages happen because staff feel tired, get low pay, and have a hard time with work-life balance. When there are not enough staff, queues get longer and delays happen. Not enough staff makes a backlog, so more people join the waiting list. If you want to compare wait times, look at how each trust handles its staff.

• Many hospitals do not have enough nurses.

• Staff shortages make waiting lists longer.

• Burnout and low pay make it hard to keep staff.

• Not enough staff means patients wait longer.

Tip: You can use hospital apps to check which hospitals have shorter queues and better staffing.

Demand

Patient demand goes up and down during the year. There are more emergency visits in winter and during holidays. These busy times cause overcrowding and longer waits. Hospitals need flexible staff to help during these times. If demand goes up and staff cannot keep up, you will wait longer for care.

Note: If you plan to visit, check live updates to compare wait times and avoid busy times.

Resources

Hospital resources change how fast you get care. The waiting list is now over 7.5 million. About 6.2 million people are waiting for treatment. Around 3.23 million people have waited more than 18 weeks. Over 309,000 have waited more than a year. Bed occupancy is above 90%, so there is little space for new patients. Sometimes, patients stay in beds even when they are ready to go home. This happens because there is not enough social care. It blocks beds for others and makes waits longer.

If you want faster care, check which hospitals have more resources and shorter waiting lists.

Wait Times at the Hospital: What’s Changing in 2025

NHS Reforms

You will see several important changes in the nhs in 2025. The nhs has announced new reforms to help reduce wait times at the hospital and improve patient care. These reforms focus on making the system more efficient and easier for you to use. Here are some of the main changes:

• The nhs aims for 65% of patients to wait less than 18 weeks for treatment by March 2026.

• The long-term goal is to reach the 92% standard by March 2029.

• In May 2025, only 60.9% of patients waited 18 weeks or less, so there is still work to do.

You may remember that past reforms helped reduce wait times at the hospital. For example:

• Waiting times dropped to the lowest levels in nhs history.

• In 2007/8, 87% of patients saw their GPs within 48 hours.

• By 2009, 97.8% of patients were seen in A&E within four hours.

• The average inpatient wait fell from over 13 weeks in 1997 to just 4.5 weeks by 2009.

• Patient satisfaction was high, with 91% rating their care as good or excellent.

These results show that reforms can make a real difference for you and your family.

New Targets

The nhs is changing how it measures wait times at the hospital. Instead of focusing on a single target, the nhs will use several new standards. This approach gives a clearer picture of care quality and helps you understand what to expect.

You will benefit from these new targets because they cover more parts of your hospital visit. The nhs will track how quickly you get assessed, how fast you see a doctor, and how soon you receive treatment. This helps you know where delays might happen and how hospitals are performing.

Digital Initiatives

In 2025, you will have more digital tools to help manage your care and check wait times at the hospital. The nhs is rolling out new services and expanding existing ones to make your experience smoother.

You can use these digital services to see live updates on wait times at the hospital. This means you can plan your visit better and avoid long waits. Studies show that most people find these tools easy to use. For example, 97% of emergency department visitors used digital check-in services. Some studies found that digital tools helped reduce the time to see a doctor and the time to triage. However, not every study showed big improvements, so results may vary.

Tip: Use the nhs app or NHS Online to check your appointment status, view the waiting list, and get real-time updates before you travel.

Funding and Staffing

You may notice changes in nhs funding and staffing in 2025. Many nhs trusts plan to reduce their workforce by up to 1,500 posts each. These cuts are part of a financial reset to save money, with some trusts aiming to save up to 12% of their budget. Trust leaders worry that these savings targets could make it harder to improve wait times at the hospital.

Saffron Cordery, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, has warned that such large cuts may stop the government from meeting its promises to reduce wait times for different services. Fewer staff could mean longer waits for you and others on the waiting list. The nhs backlog data shows that high demand and fewer resources can slow down progress.

Note: You should keep an eye on updates from your local nhs trust. Changes in funding and staffing may affect how quickly you get care.

What This Means for Patients

Impact on Wait Times

You will notice some changes in how long you wait for care. The nhs has made progress in reducing the waiting list for elective treatments. In February 2025, the waiting list dropped to 7.4 million, which is the lowest in two years. This means you may get some treatments sooner than before. However, you might still face delays for certain services. Over 1.6 million people are waiting for MRI, CT, or ultrasound scans. Hundreds of thousands have waited more than a year for treatment. Some patients, like David, could wait over two years from their first GP visit to surgery. In A&E, one in four patients waited more than four hours in March 2025. More than 46,000 people waited over 12 hours for a hospital bed.

Check Waiting Times

You can now check waiting times more easily before you travel to hospital. Digital tools and the nhs app let you see live updates for A&E, outpatient clinics, and even surgery. This helps you plan your visit and avoid long waits. If you use these tools, you can choose the best time and place for your care. Many patients find these updates helpful, especially when hospitals are busy.

Tip: Always check waiting times online or on your phone before you leave home. This can save you time and help you get care faster.

Accessing Care

You have more ways to access care under the new system. The nhs encourages you to use urgent care services at home or in your community when possible. This reduces avoidable ambulance trips and helps hospitals focus on the most urgent cases. Hospitals now aim to see, treat, and discharge more patients within one day. You may also notice that more patients leave hospital by day seven of their stay, which frees up beds for others. The neighbourhood health model means you can get support closer to home.

Note: If you join a waiting list, keep checking your status and use digital tools to stay informed about your care.

You might wait a long time for NHS care, but new changes are coming to help. Here are some recent numbers: The diagnostic waiting list in April 2025 had 1.7 million people. The middle wait for a diagnostic test was 2.8 weeks. People waited about 299 days for elective treatment. Over 16,500 mental health patients waited more than 18 months. You can use the NHS App to book appointments, order medicine, and check your records. Community Diagnostic Centres and predictive analytics will help make waits shorter. Try using apps like Liva Healthcare or Headspace to get updates and support your health. These tools give you more control and make it easier to get care. The NHS is still getting better, so you should have a better experience soon.

FAQ

How can you check hospital wait times before visiting?

You can use the NHS App or NHSquicker to see live updates for A&E and outpatient clinics. These tools help you plan your visit and avoid long waits.

Tip: Always check online before you travel to hospital.

What should you do if your wait is very long?

You can contact your hospital or GP for updates. You may also ask about other hospitals with shorter waits. Sometimes, you can get care faster at a different location.

Will digital tools help you get seen faster?

Digital tools let you book appointments, check wait times, and get reminders. They help you find the best time to visit. You may spend less time waiting if you use these services.

Can you choose which hospital to attend?

Yes, you can often choose your hospital for planned treatments. Use NHS tools to compare waiting times. Picking a hospital with a shorter queue may help you get care sooner.

See Also

Exploring New Developments in NHS Waiting Times Affecting Care

Recent Patterns in NHS Waiting Times for Older Patients

Examining The Effects of NHS Waiting Times on Patients

A Comprehensive Analysis of Current NHS Patient Wait Times

Is There Progress in Reducing NHS Waiting Times?