Health

London NHS hospitals exhibit stark contrast in emergency care performance amid ongoing system pressures

Friday, 14 November 2025 5:04AM UTC

While Moorfields Eye Hospital leads nationally with rapid emergency response times, Kingston Hospital struggles with the lowest A&E admission rates, highlighting persistent inequalities within London's NHS system amidst evolving challenges and targets for 2026.

London’s NHS hospitals continue to exhibit marked disparities in emergency care performance, underscoring ongoing systemic challenges despite isolated pockets of excellence. The most recent NHS data reveals that Kingston Hospital in southwest London had the lowest proportion of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged within the four-hour target in A&E, with only 29% meeting the benchmark in October. This figure is considerably below the national average of 74.1%, highlighting persistent pressures on emergency services in certain areas.

Conversely, Moorfields Eye Hospital in the City Road area of London stands out positively, topping the league for the fastest emergency care in England. At Moorfields, 96.7% of A&E patients were seen within the four-hour target, reflecting a high standard of emergency responsiveness for a specialist eye hospital. This achievement aligns with Moorfields' recent recognition as the highest-rated trust among acute and specialist trusts in the NHS Oversight Framework for the first quarter of 2025/26, according to the hospital’s interim chief executive Peter Ridley. The trust’s strong performance is further backed by its top ranking in patient satisfaction surveys, including the 2024 Care Quality Commission's Urgent and Emergency Care Survey, where it was rated the best A&E nationally by patients. Moorfields maintains excellent governance and financial health, rating green for governance and low for financial risk in recent regulatory assessments.

In contrast, Kingston Hospital’s emergency performance reflects ongoing difficulties. Though the trust has made strides in financial management and certain operational areas, as acknowledged by NHS regulators back in 2015, its A&E waiting times remain the lowest in England. Despite a respectable overall NHS league table placing in September 2025, the trust finds itself in Segment 3 of the NHS performance framework, indicating the need for continued improvement. The wide disparity between Kingston’s emergency performance and that of Moorfields highlights the uneven recovery and operational pressures faced by NHS trusts in London.

Beyond A&E, broader NHS performance indicators show a mixed picture. The overall waiting list for routine treatment in England has slightly decreased across September 2025 after multiple months of rising backlogs, yet it remains elevated by historical standards, with 7.39 million treatments pending. Long waits persist, with over 180,000 patients having waited more than a year for treatment, although this figure is down from previous years. Targets have been set by the government to reduce these prolonged waits significantly by March 2026.

Emergency department challenges extend beyond patient processing times; “corridor care”, where admitted patients wait in A&E corridors due to lack of beds, increased to over 54,000 waits exceeding 12 hours from decision to admit in October, up from roughly 45,000 in September. Overall, 74.1% of patients were seen within four hours in A&E across England last month, slipping from 75.1% in September and still short of the 78% target set for March 2026.

Cancer referrals also continue to face delays. Only 73.9% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days in September, slightly below the 75% target. Notably, there is a stark difference between those ruled out of cancer, 75.3% received timely results, and those confirmed with cancer, where only 52.2% met the 28-day threshold. Furthermore, just 67.9% of patients began first definitive cancer treatment within 62 days of referral, falling short of the 75% target.

Ambulance response times remain a concern as well. For the most critical incidents, life-threatening illnesses or injuries, the average response time was just over eight minutes in October, exceeding the seven-minute target. For emergency calls involving serious conditions such as heart attacks or strokes, response times averaged over 32 minutes, up from 30 minutes in September.

Diagnostic waiting times have also improved slightly after peaking, with 22.5% of patients waiting longer than six weeks for key tests in September, down from 24.0% a month earlier but still higher than the previous year’s figures.

These statistics paint a complex picture: some London hospitals like Moorfields are excelling with rapid, patient-centred emergency care and operational stability, while others such as Kingston continue to struggle with delays and pressures that impact patient experience and outcomes. The NHS’s comprehensive targets for emergency care, cancer diagnosis, and treatment waiting times set for March 2026 underscore the scale of improvement needed to achieve more consistent standards across the capital and the country.

📌 Reference Map:

^[1] (My London News) - Paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
^[2] (Moorfields NHS) - Paragraphs 2, 3
^[3] (Gov.uk) - Paragraph 3
^[4] (Chessington DRA) - Paragraph 3
^[5] (Friends of Moorfields) - Paragraph 2
^[6] (Moorfields NHS) - Paragraph 2
^[7] (Evening Standard) - Paragraph 1

Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.mylondon.news/news/health/2-london-hospitals-top-list-32869999 - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/moorfields-rated-highest-nationally-in-first-nhs - In the first NHS Oversight Framework league table for Quarter 1, 2025/26, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was rated highest among acute and specialist trusts. The evaluation considered various performance and finance metrics, including A&E wait times, cancer care, and patient experience. This recognition reflects the trust's commitment to quality care and operational excellence, as highlighted by interim chief executive Peter Ridley. The full evaluation covered multiple performance and finance themes, as well as safety and engagement metrics from the annual staff survey.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/improvements-in-ae-and-financial-performance-at-kingston-hospital-recognised-by-regulator - In December 2015, Monitor concluded its investigation into Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, acknowledging improvements in both A&E performance and financial management. The trust collaborated with local NHS organisations to enhance A&E services and reduced its predicted end-of-year deficit from £8.8 million to £6.1 million. These efforts were recognised as crucial during the winter period, with Monitor expressing continued support to ensure lasting improvements and the sustainability of services for patients in South West London.
https://www.chessingtondra.org.uk/kingston-hospital-nhs-league-table/ - In September 2025, Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust ranked 31st out of 134 in the NHS's first-ever national performance league table. The Aggregated Metric Ranking (AMR) system evaluated trusts based on measures such as A&E wait times, elective treatment delays, cancer care, financial health, and patient experience. Despite a solid score, the trust was placed in Segment 3 of the NHS performance framework, indicating areas where further improvement is needed.
https://friendsofmoorfields.org.uk/moorfields-ae-rated-best-in-the-country-by-patients/ - In December 2024, the A&E department at Moorfields Eye Hospital was rated higher by patients than any other A&E in the country, according to the 2024 CQC Urgent and Emergency Care Survey. This achievement underscores the department's commitment to patient care and satisfaction. The Friends of Moorfields, who provide extensive volunteer support to the A&E team, expressed pride in this accomplishment and highlighted the collaborative efforts contributing to the department's success.
https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/about-us/resources/performance-and-results - Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust monitors its performance across various measures, providing regular reports to the Trust Board. Performance information is also published annually in the trust's annual report and accounts. The trust is assessed by external regulators, including Monitor and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). As of the latest assessments, Moorfields is rated green for governance and mandatory services, and five for financial risk, indicating strong performance in these areas.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/nhs-england-kingston-hospital-government-royal-stoke-university-hospital-b1257954.html - Recent NHS performance figures reveal significant variations in emergency department performance across England. Kingston Hospital recorded the lowest proportion of patients seen within four hours in A&E, with just 29% of patients admitted, transferred, or discharged within the target time in October. In contrast, Moorfields Eye Hospital topped the national league table for the fastest emergency care, with 96.7% of patients seen within four hours at its City Road campus. These figures highlight stark contrasts across the capital’s NHS trusts amid ongoing pressures on emergency departments.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative presents recent data from October 2025, indicating a high freshness score. However, similar reports on Kingston Hospital's A&E performance have appeared in the past, such as in December 2024, where only 43% of patients were seen within four hours. ([londonworld.com](https://www.londonworld.com/your-london/hammersmith-and-fulham/more-than-half-of-ae-patients-wait-longer-than-four-hours-at-kingston-hospital-3984636?utm_source=openai)) This suggests that while the data is current, the underlying issues have been persistent. Additionally, the narrative references a press release from Moorfields Eye Hospital, which typically warrants a high freshness score. ([moorfields.nhs.uk](https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/moorfields-rated-highest-nationally-in-first-nhs?utm_source=openai)) The inclusion of updated data alongside older material may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged. ([moorfields.nhs.uk](https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/patients-rate-moorfields-ae-the-best-in-the-country?utm_source=openai))

Quotes check

Score: 9

Notes: The narrative includes direct quotes from Peter Ridley, interim chief executive of Moorfields Eye Hospital, and Gordon Hay, service director of Moorfields A&E. These quotes are consistent with statements made in previous reports, such as the 2024 CQC Urgent and Emergency Care Survey. ([moorfields.nhs.uk](https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/patients-rate-moorfields-ae-the-best-in-the-country?utm_source=openai)) The consistency of these quotes across multiple sources suggests they are not original to this narrative.

Source reliability

Score: 7

Notes: The narrative originates from MyLondon News, a local news outlet. While it provides detailed information, the outlet's reputation and editorial standards are not as well-established as those of national media. This raises some uncertainty regarding the reliability of the information presented.

Plausability check

Score: 8

Notes: The claims regarding the A&E performance at Kingston Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital are plausible and align with data from NHS England and other reputable sources. However, the narrative lacks specific factual anchors, such as exact dates and figures, which reduces its credibility. Additionally, the tone of the narrative is somewhat dramatic, which may be a distraction tactic.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): FAIL

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM

Summary: The narrative presents recent data on A&E performance at London’s NHS hospitals, but it includes recycled content, unverifiable sources, and lacks specific factual anchors, leading to a 'FAIL' assessment.

NHS performance
London hospitals
emergency care disparities