MORE than 1,000 patients waited longer than four hours to be seen in Barnsley Hospital’s accident and emergency department in December, new figures have revealed.

All hospitals must adhere to a target of seeing 95 per cent of patients within four hours. But figures released by NHS England show that just 85.9 per cent of patients at Barnsley Hospital were seen within that time period.

A total of 7,413 people attended the A and E department in December, and of those 1,054 were forced to wait more than four hours.

Nationally, A and E departments endured one of their toughest ever months, with only 85.1 per cent of patients seen within four hours - which is one of the worst levels on record.

Barnsley East MP Stephanie Peacock has attacked the government for failing to prevent an NHS crisis.

She said: “These figures once again demonstrate the completely preventable strain this government’s woeful mismanagement has forced on our NHS.

“Hardworking staff at Barnsley Hospital continue to do an incredible job with what they can, but the lack of resources and support is clear.

“More than 1,000 patients were forced to wait for more than four hours in A and E in December.

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“Theresa May and her bungling health secretary Jeremy Hunt have treated our vital NHS services with neglect for far too long.

“They need to get a grip of the situation, because it’s local residents here in Barnsley who will suffer until they do.”