24 hours in A&E: Data reveals worst NHS trusts by wait time as 1.16 million patients left over 24 hours to be seen
A staggering 1.16 million patients were left waiting more than 24 hours to be seen - here are the worst offending NHS trusts for wait times.
Shocking new figures reveal more than 74,000 people visited A&E departments in England each day according to data from April - with more than 26.5 million attendances at major and minor emergency units in the past year.
The figures, revealed after a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, showed how long waits are to be expected at overrun emergency departments, with the NHS target of 95% of visits lasting less than four hours being missed by many trusts across the country.
New data from the sleep experts at MattressNextDay has revealed the average NHS A&E wait time is 5.2 hours (314 mins), with as many as 1.16 million patients waiting more than 24 hours to be seen at A&E.
The firm sent FoI requests to all NHS Trusts in England, identifying the hospitals with the longest wait times. Key findings from the information showed:
- In 2025, the average waiting time to be seen in A&E is 314 minutes (5.2 hours), 30% higher than the NHS four-hour target
- The number of patients waiting 24 hours or more to be seen has risen by 771% between 2020 and 2024
- More than 7.4m patients have waited three hours or more to be seen at A&E between the hours of 11pm and 6am since 2020
The data revealed the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had the longest A&E waiting times, both overall (eight hours) and in 2025 alone (10.3 hours), while the Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust has the shortest waits (1.75 hours).
Of all NHS trusts analysed, the overall average waiting time to be admitted into hospital or discharged is 278 minutes (4.6 hours). In 2025, the average waiting time to be seen in A&E is 314 minutes (5.2 hours), 30% higher than the four-hour target.
The overall average waiting time to be seen across NHS trusts rose by 48.76% between 2020 and 2024, from 205 minutes (3.4 hours) to 305 minutes (five hours), while more than a third of NHS trusts analysed showed average waiting times of five hours or more (300+ minutes). Just one in four met the NHS four-hour target.
In 2025, the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust had the highest average waiting time in 2025, at 922 minutes (15.3 hours).
NHS trusts where the most patients face 24-hour delays
Total patients waiting 24 hours or more (2020-2025):
- Barts Health NHS Trust - 304,634
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust - 55,425
- Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust - 47,686
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust - 43,551
- East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust - 35,602
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust - 35,293
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 32,244
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Group - 29,835
- North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust - 29,788
- East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust - 29,380
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 28,339
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 26,107
- Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust - 25,675
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 24,315
- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust - 22,632
Overall, a whopping 1,163,653 patients have waited 24 hours or more to be seen in A&E since 2020. In 2025 alone, 178,841 patients have waited 24 hours or more to be admitted into hospitals or discharged. Of all NHS trusts analysed, the number of patients waiting 24 hours or more to be seen rose by 771% between 2020 and 2024.
Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs five hospitals throughout the City of London and East London, recorded the highest number of patients waiting 24 hours or more since 2020 (304,634). The trust also has the highest figure so far for 2025 (31,581), higher than the combined 2020 to 2025 total of 67 trusts.
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust had the highest increase in patients waiting 24 hours or more to be seen between 2022 and 2024 (+663.44%), rising from 279 to 2,130. Of the 15 NHS trusts where the most patients faced 24-hour or more delays, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust had the highest percentage increase between 2022 and 2024 (+401.95%), rising from 2,463 to 12,363.
Martin Seeley, senior sleep expert at MattressNextDay, said the waits could have a big impact on people’s rest, saying: “Anyone who has spent the night in hospital will know how difficult it is to have a good night's sleep, with 30-50% of hospital patients reporting severe sleep disturbance.
“Yet, patients are now forced to sleep on corridors or floors across NHS hospitals before even being admitted, with millions waiting more than 24 hours to be treated or facing prolonged delays between the unsociable hours of 11pm and 6am.
“Rest is hugely restorative for ill or injured patients, supporting the immune system and improving cognitive and emotional function, all of which reduce the risk of complications. One disrupted night can set the stage for sleep deprivation, with it being found that hallucinations can begin after only 24 hours without sleep.
“This crisis is not only for patients, but for staff too. Sleep deprivation is known to increase agitation and irritability, posing an increased risk of threats, abuse or even violence against NHS staff. It's clear the nation's sleep is stretched by prolonged NHS waits, leading to poor patient outcomes and putting further strain back onto an already stretched healthcare system.”