One in four people waited more than four hours in Medway’s emergency department this winter, as the hospital found itself under severe pressure.

The latest figures, published today, show 10,002 people went to A&E in December – with 400 through the doors on some days.

National figures show a similar situation across the country, during a month which saw health bosses urge patients without “urgent life-threatening conditions” to stay away from hospital.

The Red Cross called it a “humanitarian crisis” – a description which caused a storm of controversy and was rejected by the government.

At Medway, 73.6% of people were seen, admitted or discharged within four hours – the target is 95% - leaving 2,640 waiting longer than four hours.

Throughout December, 3,091 people were admitted to hospital for treatment. Of those, 1,707 waited more than four hours to be admitted and four people waited longer than 12 hours.

Medway Maritime said the figures show how long people waited for treatment but patients are monitored and tests are carried out during this time.

A trust spokesperson 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.

“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 electrocardiograms as well as getting opinions from specialist doctors. This happens while they are officially ‘waiting to be treated’.

"Those who come in with life-threatening or other very serious conditions will always be seen straight away"

“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. Patients who have less urgent conditions may face a longer wait to be treated, so we would urge anyone who needs care for a non-emergency condition to call NHS 111, who can advise you of any other treatment options that are appropriate.”

Figures from the winter daily situation reports show 8,430 patients attended Medway Maritime Hospital’s emergency department in January, an average of 290 patients a day.

The highest attendance was 334 on Tuesday, January 24 and the lowest was 258 on both Saturday, January 14 and Friday, January 20. Of those who attended A&E, around 17% were admitted to hospital for treatment.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust declared major alerts, triggered when hospitals are
experiencing severe pressures, on 11 days between January
3 and 13. It was at the highest level of alert for three of those days.

January was the worst performing month for the country’s hospitals with record numbers of patients spending more than four hours in accident and emergency, according to figures leaked to the BBC.

The data, from the regulator NHS Improvement, show there were more than 1.4m attendances at England’s A&Es. The national figures show 82% of patients were seen, admitted or discharged within four hours.

The official figures are due to be published on March 9 and, according to the BBC, will be
the worst monthly figures on record since the four-hour target was introduced in 2004.