How long are waits at French emergency units - new statistics released
We also look at how wait times compare with the UK and the US
The new figures show waiting times for those treated in A&E departments in France had increased overall
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Waiting times in emergency units have increased significantly over the past 10 years in France, new statistics show, with the median wait times of non-admitted patients hovering at around 2.5 hours.
The new figures were released on March 19, by la Direction de la recherche, des études, de l’évaluation et des statistiques du ministère de la Santé (DREES), the statistical service of the Ministry of Health.
The figures come from a major study of patients visiting emergency departments in France, which sought to compare waiting times observed on a typical day in comparison to a typical day 10 years earlier. The aim was to highlight the “major structural changes that have taken place” in the past decade.
A ‘typical’ day was defined as a day outside of epidemic periods and weekly peaks such as Mondays.
Overall increase in waiting times in France
The study found that waiting times for those treated in the department had increased overall, regardless of the patient's profile.
It found that in 2023, “half of the people treated in the emergency department spent more than three hours there, 45 minutes more than in 2013”.
“The length of time spent in the emergency department varies greatly depending on the patient's background, but the increase is seen across the board,” DREES states.
Specifically, the study found:
Of the 80% of patients who returned home after their visit: Median length of stay was more than two hours 30 minutes. This was 40 minutes longer than in 2013.
For the 11% of patients who went directly from the emergency unit to another hospital department: Median length of stay was five hours and 20 minutes. This was one hour and 25 minutes longer than in 2013.
The study also found that a lack of appointments and availability at GPs and local healthcare units has a significant knock-on effect on emergency departments.
21% of patients said they were visiting A&E because they were “having trouble getting a medical appointment elsewhere (absent GP, unable to find a medical appointment even if a quick examination is needed)”
This compares to 14% who gave this reason in 2013
Read also: How does your area of France fare for delay to see a doctor?
Read more: Wait to see health specialists grows in France: here is what to expect
More calls and referrals by SAMU
The study also found that more patients are calling the SAMU before going to the emergency room, and only going to A&E on their advice.
When asked “Who advised you to come to the emergency room?”:
How do wait times in France compare to England and the UK?
Figures from NHS England, highlighted in an analysis report by the Nuffield Trust, show that (as of December 2024) the country has slightly longer waiting times than France.
Patients who required admission to hospital: Median wait was five hours, 49 minutes. This is 29 minutes longer than France’s five hours and 20 minutes (for people admitted to hospital).
Patients who were not admitted: Median waiting time was two hours, 42 minutes. This is 12 minutes longer than the French figure of two hours 30 minutes.
The Nuffield Trust states: “Overall, there has been a year-on-year decrease in the proportion of patients attending major A&E departments that are admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours.”
When considering the figures in more detail, NHS England aims to admit, transfer, or discharge all visitors to A&E within four hours (as stated in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution).
However, it categorises A&Es into three ‘types’.
Type 1: Full-scale A&Es with a 24-hour consultant-led service and full resuscitation facilities. Known as ‘Emergency Departments’ in Scotland, and ‘Major Emergency Departments’ in Wales.
Type 2: A speciality A&E, such as dental or ophthalmology
Type 3: Minor injury walk-in centres
Of patients visiting type 1 units, just 57% were seen within the four-hour target. Of those visiting type 2 or 3, the proportion being seen within four hours was 96.7%.
More broadly, across the UK, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) states that “healthcare policy on how A&E wait time data are collected from 24-hour consultant-led departments are sufficiently similar between England, Scotland, and Wales to make broad comparisons between their A&E wait time data.” (Yet, this is not true of Northern Ireland.)
The ONS states that as of 2024, “there has been a general upward trend in the monthly percentage of A&E attendances waiting longer than four hours, for all four countries of the UK, between January 2013 and September 2023”.
How do wait times in France compare to the US?
Figures from the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show that the median emergency room visit time (before leaving or being admitted) in 2024 was two hours and 42 minutes. The figures do not specify if this applies to admitted or non-admitted patients; it is likely to be an average of both.
However, the wait times vary considerably by state, with waits varying from one hour 50 minutes, to five hours 14 minutes. The longest time was found in Washington DC (5 hours 14 minutes), while the lowest was North Dakota (1 hour, 50 minutes).
