Even fewer patients are being seen in Kent hospitals within four hours, according to the latest A&E waiting time figures.

It's emerged every emergency department in the county performed worse in December than the month before.

At hospitals in east Kent, including the QEQM in Margate and the William Harvey in Ashford, less than three quarters of patients received treatment within the four-hour target.

The situation was even worse in Medway, where it's also been revealed four patients had to wait more than 12 hours to be seen.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals dealt with more than 13,000 patients in December, with just under 80% being seen in the target time.

About the same percentage of people were treated within four hours in Dartford and Gravesham - down more than 10 percent on the month before.

The figures for east Kent, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and Dartford and Gravesham trusts also include waiting times at minor injuries units.

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.

Meanwhile, at Medway, the last interim inspection by the CQC in March last year found the hospital was safer and making progress, but had to remain in special measures.

John Ferguson, general manager for emergency medicine at Medway hospital, said: "Our hospital has been very busy over this winter, but we have been working hard to ensure that people who use all of our services experience high quality, compassionate care.

"A small number of our patients did experience very long waits in A&E in December during times of exceptional demand; we apologise for this and our staff are doing everything that they can to see patients as quickly as possible.

"Our A&E team will always prioritise patients who have the greatest need; those who come in with life-threatening or other very serious conditions will always be seen straight away" - John Ferguson, Medway hospital

"Patients who come to A&E have an initial evaluation of their condition by a trained clinician as soon as possible after arriving at the department – normally within a few minutes.

"We then develop a care plan for them and often make a wide range of assessments with x-rays, blood tests and electro-cardiograms as well as getting opinions from specialist doctors - this happens while they are officially ‘waiting to be treated’.

"Our A&E team will always prioritise patients who have the greatest need; those who come in with life-threatening or other very serious conditions will always be seen straight away.

"All of our department, including our waiting areas, have dedicated clinical supervision to ensure that patients whose conditions change can be supported and escalated when necessary."

A Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust spokesman said its hospitals had seen a surge in patients compared to the previous year.

He said: "The Trust’s two A&E departments collectively saw 4,000 patients between Christmas and the New Year (December 24 to January 2) – jointly treating around 400 people a day over the 10 day period.

"The unprecedented level of attendances – up 5% from last year - has continued throughout January. A&E admissions have, as a whole, risen by 11% this winter compared to last."

An East Kent Hospitals' spokesman said this winter had seen "unprecedented demand".

He continued: "We’ve seen more patients arrive by ambulance, and large numbers of people presenting at our emergency departments.

"But despite the demands we never allow patient care or safety to be compromised, and medical teams are delivering the usual high standards of care.

"We fully appreciate that long waits in our emergency departments can be frustrating for patients, but we do all we can to make a patient’s visit as comfortable as possible and tackle any pain or discomfort they may be experiencing."

A Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust spokesman added: "We are experiencing an extremely high demand for hospital services with an average of 330 patients being seen daily in our Emergency Department (A&E).

"This is the busiest time of year for the NHS when people needing emergency care and/or admission is at its highest.

"We are working hard with our partners across the local health economy to free beds that are currently occupied by patients who are ready to leave hospital, but this is a slow process.

"We are asking people in our local community who need non-emergency care to visit their GP, Walk-in Centre or Minor Injuries Unit to get the most appropriate treatment they need, rather than visiting A&E.

"You will be helping to free more staff to deal with genuine emergencies and lifesaving care provided by A&E. If you are unsure of which service you need, call NHS 111 for advice."