A&E at Countess of Chester Hospital

How long an A&E visit takes

Within 4 hours

51%

admitted, transferred or sent home within 4 hours of arriving

10 percentage points lower than England (61%)

Over 12 hours

22%

spent more than 12 hours in A&E from arriving

12 percentage points higher than England (10%)

Over 4 hours

2,885

attendances that took longer than 4 hours

Attendances in September 2026

5,855

The time runs from arriving at A&E until the patient is admitted to a ward, transferred or sent home, so waiting for tests and for a bed is part of it. This is a fact about the A&E department, not a grade or a verdict. Departments see different patients: one that admits more people, or takes the most seriously ill, will often have longer times.

NHS England publishes the latest month (September 2026) as provisional and may revise it next month.

Source: NHS England, A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions, Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS) tables, October 2025 to September 2026 (published 8 October 2026). Open Government Licence. NHS England publishes the hospital figures as experimental statistics, as received from hospitals, with counts rounded to the nearest 5.

Who stays longest?

The time is not only queueing: tests, treatment and waiting for a bed are part of it.

• Admitted to a ward: 21% within 4 hours, against 63% of people who went home or elsewhere. Waiting for a bed is part of the time.
• Children under 16: 84% of 1,115 attendances within 4 hours.
• With a mental health complaint: 45 of 235 attendances lasted more than 24 hours.

Month by month

The share seen within 4 hours, month by month over the last year. The scale runs from 0 to 100%.

The trust as a whole

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as a whole: 62% of all its A&E attendances within 4 hours in September 2026, counting every type of A&E it runs, urgent treatment centres included. England: 74%.

The figures are for type 1 and 2 departments: major emergency departments open 24 hours, and specialist ones such as eye hospitals. Urgent treatment centres, minor injury units and walk-in centres are not included. The trust’s own figure counts every type.

• Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

More A&E departments in Cheshire and Merseyside

The share seen within 4 hours at each one in September 2026.

• Arrowe Park Hospital – 43%
• Leighton Hospital – 50%
• Liverpool Women's Hospital – 90%
• Macclesfield District General Hospital – 47%
• Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital – 86%
• Royal Liverpool University Hospital – 59%
• Southport and Formby District General Hospital – 57%
• University Hospital Aintree – 42%
• Warrington Hospital – 52%
• Whiston Hospital – 58%

In alphabetical order, not a ranking.