Hospitals in parts of Kent are among the worst in the country for seeing patients in A&E departments within four hours.

One in four people had a wait in emergency departments of over four hours at hospitals run by the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

Just over 75% of patients at hospitals such as the William Harvey in Ashford and the QEQM in Margate were seen within the recommended four hours, figures just released for November reveal.

That makes it the second worst in the south of England, and in the top five worst performing in the whole of England.

It has also seen a steep decline since the same time last year, when just under 90% of patients were seen within the suggested time.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust also fared badly, with just 77% of patients being seen within four hours.

That compares with the national target of 95%. The average across England for November 2016 was 88.4%.

But Medway also saw 20 patients being forced to wait more than 12 hours - that equates to around four every week in November.

The best performing trust in Kent was the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, where 90% of its patients were seen within four hours - a 10% improvement on the same time last year.

Meanwhile, In Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, there were just over 86% of patients seen in the targeted time, compared to 88% last year.

The East Kent trust has been in special measures after inspections failed the hospital in a number of areas.

But, in December last year, it was announced by England’s chief inspector that it should be taken out of special measures.

It follows a rigorous re-inspection of facilities which two years ago were found to be failing in almost 40 clinical areas.

Now there are deemed to be no inadequate services at the trust, with urgent care, critical care, services for children and outpatient and diagnostic imaging all considered good.

Meanwhile, inspectors visited Medway Maritime Hospital in November last year.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission spent two days at the Gillingham hospital assessing whether it was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

The last interim inspection by the CQC, in March last year, said the hospital was safer and making progress, but had to remain in special measures.

But the figures reflect a surge in attendances generally at A&E departments.

In November last year, there were 49,816 people who used an A&E department in the county.

That is an increase of 5,297 on the same time the previous year, or 11.8%.

East Kent Hospitals’ Chief Operating Officer, Jane Ely, said: “The winter pressures facing the NHS have been well-publicised, and hospital trusts in England are experiencing enormous challenges, particularly in emergency care.

"This can mean that patients wait longer than we want them to.

“But even when patients are waiting, we regularly monitor them for safety and comfort, and we ensure they are pain-free and their care needs are met.

"As we’ve been seeing extra attendance numbers, we’ve managed our staff to make sure that more are available to look after patients, minimising any patient distress.

“But any figures that highlight waiting times have to be seen within context.

"Our dedicated staff are always working hard to reduce waiting times" - Jane Ely

"From April to December last year, we’ve seen an increase of more than five per cent in numbers of people attending our emergency departments on the previous year – which equates to an average of nearly 30 extra patients presenting every day.

“Many of these patients are frail and elderly – often with complex, long-term health conditions, whose assessment, care and treatment often involves teams of healthcare workers.

“Our dedicated staff are always working hard to reduce waiting times and ensure that patients receive treatment and care as soon as possible, in accordance with need.

“Patients can help us to ease the pressure by remembering that our emergency departments are for emergencies and life-threatening situations only – minor injuries units, GP surgeries and pharmacies can provide convenient and effective help for minor illnesses and injuries.”