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| A&E waits in England 'getting worse' | A&E waits in England 'getting worse' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Waiting times in A&E units in England have got even worse in the New Year, figures show. | Waiting times in A&E units in England have got even worse in the New Year, figures show. |
| The last three months of 2014 saw performance drop to its lowest level for a decade with just 92.6% of patients seen in four hours. | The last three months of 2014 saw performance drop to its lowest level for a decade with just 92.6% of patients seen in four hours. |
| The data for the week up to Sunday saw 86.7% of patients seen in four hours. The target is 95%. | The data for the week up to Sunday saw 86.7% of patients seen in four hours. The target is 95%. |
| Elsewhere in the UK the four-hour waiting time target is being missed. | Elsewhere in the UK the four-hour waiting time target is being missed. |
| It comes as a number of hospitals have declared "major incidents" in recent weeks. | It comes as a number of hospitals have declared "major incidents" in recent weeks. |
| This signifies they are facing exceptional pressures and triggers extra staff being called in and other steps, including cancelling non-emergency care, such as routine operations. | This signifies they are facing exceptional pressures and triggers extra staff being called in and other steps, including cancelling non-emergency care, such as routine operations. |
| The latest waiting time figure is the worst since weekly recording began in 2010. The last four weeks have all been the four worst ever recorded. | |
| Private pull-out | |
| The overall figure includes walk-in centres and minor injury units, once they are stripped out the performance of major A&E units has dipped below 80%. | |
| Data has also been published showing other pressures inside hospitals. | |
| Over the past four weeks, compared to the same period last year, the following has happened in England: | |
| Dr Sarah Pinto-Duschinsky, of NHS England, said: "The NHS continues to face unprecedented pressures on its frontline services. | |
| "Flu is now at its highest peak for the last three winters. This means the NHS will continue to be under pressure for the next few weeks." | |
| The release of the data comes on the day the private firm Circle announced it was pulling out of the contract to run Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire. | |
| It was the first private firm to take over the running of an entire hospital when the contract started in 2012. | |
| The firm blamed the rising pressures on the health system, including on A&E. Although the Care Quality Commission has carried out an inspection. The report is yet to be published, but is expected to be critical. | |
| The Department of Health said it was "disappointed" in the decision. | |
| Rest of the UK | Rest of the UK |
| On A&E, the data in the other nations lags a bit behind England. In Wales, the data from November shows just 83.8% of patients were seen in time. | |
| Northern Ireland is performing even worse - just over 80% of patients were seen within four hours in November. | Northern Ireland is performing even worse - just over 80% of patients were seen within four hours in November. |
| Scotland has a slightly tougher waiting time target - 98% of patients should be seen in four hours - but in September 93.5% were. | Scotland has a slightly tougher waiting time target - 98% of patients should be seen in four hours - but in September 93.5% were. |
| Comparing the September figures for England and Scotland shows England was performing slightly better in that month. | Comparing the September figures for England and Scotland shows England was performing slightly better in that month. |