Once ranked one of the worst performing A&E units in the country, Medway Maritime Hospital is finally starting to hit national targets following a programme of improvements.

Of the 25,691 people who attended the emergency department between April and June, an average of 92.9% were seen within the government’s four-hour target time, the latest figures have revealed.

Although the department has consistently seen more than 90% of patients within the time since April, it is still behind the government’s national target of 95%.

In some weeks at Medway as many as 96.9% of people were seen within the four hours, in other weeks that dropped to 90.1%.

In total, more than 1,800 people still waited more than four hours to be seen.

Chief operating officer Morag Jackson said: “As part of our 18-month recovery plan for the hospital, we have transformed the way we operate in the Emergency Department, including the introduction of a frailty pathway which means our elderly patients are seen by specialists rather than having to wait."

She added: "We have also worked with South East Coast Ambulance service to improve our handovers of emergency patients and that along with our new way of working is reflected in our most recent figures.

“We have also embarked on a £13.4 million building project to ensure we can deliver high quality emergency care for the people of Medway and Swale for the long-term.”

The emergency department is designed for around 45,000 visitors but sees more than 100,000 people per year – roughly 275 patients each day.

At the end of 2014 just 79% were being treated within the target, making them the second worst in England.

The new chief executive Lesley Dwyer took up her position in May and as part of the recovery plan the entire A&E department has been getting a face-lift, funded by the Department of Health.

Work has started on the new minor injuries department and by early next year it will have a new walk-in entrance, a separate waiting room and seven treatment rooms.

The first stage of the project was the separate children’s emergency department, which has had more than 8,000 admissions since opening in December 2014.