Ysbyty Gwynedd Records Third-Highest 12-Hour A&E Waits, Wales 2026

Key Points

• Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor had the third highest proportion of 12+ hour A&E wait times among Wales’s 12 major emergency departments during June – August 2026.
• A total of 2,856 out of 15,372 patients (18.6 per cent) waited 12 hours or more to be admitted, transferred, or discharged.
• Ysbyty Glan Clwyd recorded the highest percentage in Wales, where 27.5 per cent of patients had 12 hours or more wait time.
• Wrexham Maelor Hospital followed Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in the proportion of long waiting times with 25.1 per cent of patients waiting for 12 hours or more.
• The statistics were compiled by health cost experts at Single Mothers Guide from Welsh Government data on June – August 2026, available on StatsWales website in September.
• All the three North Wales hospitals are run by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) that is under special measures.
• BCUHB explained high demand and late hospital discharges are causing longer waiting times.
• The Welsh Government promised to launch a new Emergency and Acute Care Policy Framework this autumn.

Wales (Wales Times) October 10, 2026 – Ysbyty Gwynedd’s emergency department recorded the third-highest proportion of patients waiting 12 hours or more in Wales during summer 2026, according to an analysis of Welsh Government figures. The uk/local/bangor/">Bangor hospital saw 2,856 of 15,372 A&E attendees—18.6 per cent—spend at least 12 hours waiting to be admitted, transferred or discharged between June and August.

The figures place Ysbyty Gwynedd behind Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and Wrexham Maelor Hospital, both also run by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The analysis ranked all 12 major emergency departments in Wales according to the share of patients who spent 12 hours or more in the department.

Which Welsh hospitals had the longest A&E waits?

As reported by the Rhyl Journal, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan had the highest proportion of long waits in Wales during the three-month period. Of the 16,563 patients who attended its emergency department, 4,551—27.5 per cent—waited 12 hours or more to be admitted, transferred or discharged.

Wrexham Maelor Hospital recorded the second-highest proportion. It treated 16,705 patients during the period, of whom 4,197—25.1 per cent—waited at least 12 hours.

Ysbyty Gwynedd followed in third place. Its 2,856 long waits represented 18.6 per cent of the 15,372 patients who attended the Bangor emergency department between June and August 2026.

Hospital	Patients attending A&E	Patients waiting 12 hours or more	Proportion waiting 12 hours or more
Ysbyty Glan Clwyd	16,563	4,551	27.5 per cent
Wrexham Maelor Hospital	16,705	4,197	25.1 per cent
Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor	15,372	2,856	18.6 per cent

The data covered June, July and August 2026. It measured the time from a patient’s arrival at A&E until admission, transfer or discharge.

How were the figures compiled?

Health-cost experts at Single Mothers Guide analysed Welsh Government data for all 12 major emergency departments in Wales. The data was published by StatsWales in September and covered the three summer months of 2026.

The analysis ranked hospitals by the proportion of patients who spent 12 hours or more in the emergency department. It did not state that every patient waited 12 hours before first being seen; the measure includes the full period from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.

The figures therefore reflect pressure across the emergency pathway, including assessment, treatment, decisions to admit and the availability of beds or onward care.

What did BCUHB say about the waits?

Clara Day, Executive Medical Director of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said the board recognised that too many patients were waiting longer than they should in its emergency departments. She said this could be distressing for patients, families and staff who wanted to provide care in the right environment.

As reported by the Rhyl Journal, Ms Day said:

“Like NHS organisations across the UK, we are experiencing both significant demand for urgent and emergency care and challenges in the timely discharge of inpatients from hospital. At times, this means some patients wait longer to be seen, receive treatment and be admitted.”

She added that improving patient experience in emergency departments and supporting staff to provide the best care possible was the board’s top priority.

Ms Day said BCUHB was working closely with local authority partners to implement a significant programme of improvement across the health and social care system. The aim, she said, was to improve the flow of patients through its hospitals.

Why are North Wales hospitals under pressure?

All three hospitals named in the analysis Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Wrexham Maelor and Ysbyty Gwynedd are operated by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The health board is in special measures.

BCUHB said demand for urgent and emergency care remained significant, while delays in discharging patients who no longer needed hospital beds created pressure further along the pathway. When patients cannot be discharged promptly, beds may remain occupied, affecting the flow of new admissions from A&E.

The board said it was implementing improvements across health and social care with local authority partners to address these flow issues.

What action is the Welsh Government taking?

The Welsh Government described long waits in emergency departments as unacceptable. It said it would publish a new Emergency and Acute Care Policy Framework this autumn.

According to the Welsh Government, the framework will focus on improving hospital flow, speeding up discharge and strengthening community services to reduce delays across the whole patient pathway.

The Welsh Government also said the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care had taken direct action to drive improvement at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. It described this as a serious intervention, reflecting persistent and unresolved concerns, including patient access and waiting times.

What advice was given to patients?

Dawn Yates, a health-cost expert at Single Mothers Guide, said nobody plans a trip to A&E and that a 12-hour wait could mean a lost work shift or a school run without cover.

She advised people whose condition was not life-threatening to contact NHS 111 first, saying the service could direct patients to a minor injuries unit that may be able to see them sooner.

Ms Yates also advised patients who needed to attend A&E to take a phone charger, any medicines they use and something to eat. She suggested arranging someone who could collect children if the visit ran late.

Background of the development

The latest figures form part of ongoing concern about emergency care performance in North Wales and across Wales. NHS Wales’s standard target is to admit, transfer or discharge 95 per cent of patients within four hours of arrival at an emergency department.

The British Medical Association has reported that the proportion of patients in Wales waiting more than 12 hours at A&E rose from 1.91 per cent in June 2015 to 10.5 per cent in June 2025. It also reported that the proportion seen within four hours fell from 84.96 per cent to 66.3 per cent over the same period.

Earlier in 2026, the BBC reported that 11,400 patients across Wales had waited 12 hours or more to be seen in A&E, the highest total in three years. Separate reporting by ITV News Wales highlighted concerns about corridor care at hospitals run by BCUHB, including an average corridor-care stay of almost 10 hours at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd during the previous year.

The Welsh Government’s planned Emergency and Acute Care Policy Framework is intended to address delays across hospital flow, discharge and community services.

Prediction: How will this affect patients in North Wales?

For patients in Bangor, Gwynedd and surrounding communities, the figures suggest that emergency departments are likely to remain under sustained pressure, particularly during periods of high demand. People attending Ysbyty Gwynedd may continue to face lengthy waits for admission, transfer or discharge, although individual waiting times will depend on the seriousness of their condition and the availability of staff, beds and community care.

Patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions may increasingly be encouraged to use NHS 111, minor injuries units or other appropriate services before attending A&E. This could help reduce avoidable pressure on emergency departments, but it will depend on the availability and capacity of alternative services.

For families, the practical impact may include longer time away from work, school and caring responsibilities. The advice from Single Mothers Guide reflects that reality: patients may need to prepare for extended visits by bringing essential items and arranging support for children or other dependants.

For BCUHB, the figures are likely to increase scrutiny of its efforts to improve patient flow, discharge arrangements and collaboration with local authorities. The Welsh Government’s intervention and forthcoming policy framework indicate that emergency waiting times will remain a central measure of whether conditions improve for patients across North Wales.