A&E waiting times in east Kent are once again the worst in the country despite emergency measures to tackle the crisis.

Fresh figures just published reveal just 62.6% of patients were seen within four hours in October, plunging the hospitals trust back to the bottom of the table.

The trust made headlines in the summer when it recorded the worst performance in England after the diversion of more than 700 patients a month from Canterbury’s urgent care centre to A&Es in Ashford and Margate.

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New doctors were recruited and facilities expanded to shorten waiting times, but the latest figures indicate little improvement.

Ken Rogers, the chairman of campaign group Concern for Health in East Kent, said: “The numbers are almost laughable when you consider the rhetoric the trust is putting out about their ‘improved’ performance.

“Yes, the figures are better when you include minor injuries, but it’s not the people with the cut fingers we’re concerned for, it’s the patients on the trollies.

“It’s horrific that we’re hearing about 13 ambulances outside of the William Harvey and patients stacked in bays at the QEQM.

“Something needs to be done, and quickly.”

A trust board report in September acknowledged that extra patients from Canterbury had increased waiting times, as well as a spike in visits from people living in Margate and Ashford.

The report also pointed to a long-standing issue with A&E vacancies. “This impacts directly on our ability to consistently staff emergency rotas especially overnight leading to significant number of breaches out of hours,” it said.

A reliance on locum and temporary staff to plug gaps has also been hindered since April by the introduction of new legislation on how they are taxed.

But following the recruitment of six new emergency doctors, and with five more yet to start, the trust remains confident of turning the situation around.

In the last week of October, 68.4% of patients were seen within four hours, with the upward trend said to have continued into November.

Chief operating officer Jane Ely said: “Staff across east Kent’s NHS are working really hard, with a lot of energy and focus, to improve standards for emergency care patients.

“We began a rapid improvement ‘sprint’ in mid-October, with staff throughout the emergency departments, hospitals and local health system taking part to support emergency care.

“Every action for patients makes a difference, and we have seen a really encouraging improvement in our performance in the last two weeks of October, with a continued positive trend of improvement into November.”