NHS in England records worst ever A&E waiting times

Here are the figures…

New figures show that NHS England is performing at its worst ever rate when it comes to hitting A&E targets, this includes cancer and trolley waits.

Figures for December reveal that just 86.2 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, this is the worst figure on record.

Any hospitals current target is to reach 95 per cent, this is a figure that emergency departments have not been able to keep to since July 2015.

As well as this the number of cancer patients waiting for more than two months to undergo treatment after an urgent referral hit a high of 25,157 in 2016, this is the highest number currently on record.

The number recorded in 2015 was 23,760 and in 2010 it was 13,191.

Bed-blocking was also at its highest rate on record, the number of patients waiting for a bed for more than 12 hours was at its highest rate in 2016.

Speaking about the new figures, Matthew Swindells, NHS England’s National Director: Operations and Information, said: “NHS frontline services came under real pressure in December with A&E, ambulances and NHS 111 all helping record numbers of patients and callers.”

“Despite these pressures, it is a tribute to the professionalism and dedication of doctors, nurses and other staff in A&E that they continue to see, treat, admit or discharge the vast majority of patients within four hours.”