NEW statistics show an increase in the number of patients waiting more than four hours to be admitted to hospital as North-East A&E units struggled to cope last week.

The latest NHS England figures, for the week ending Sunday, January 4, show that every accident and emergency unit in the region saw an increase in the percentage of patients waiting more than four hours to be admitted.

The Government target is that 95 per cent of A&E patients should not spend more than four hours from doctors deciding to admit to actually admitting the patient.

All eight hospital North-East trusts with A&E departments missed the target by a larger margin in the week ending January 4 compared to the previous week ending December 28.

The percentage of patients being admitted within the target period ranged from 91.8 per cent at North Tees and Hartlepool (down from 92.6 per cent the previous week) to 74.2 per cent at South Tyneside (down from 78 per cent the previous week).

County Durham and Darlington – which treated 5,862 patients in A&E last week – saw the biggest increase in patients waiting more than four hours to be admitted. The figure rose from 132 the previous week to 223 last week. A total of 89.5 per cent of patients were admitted within four hours.

At South Tees Hospitals – which treated 3,939 patients in A&E last week - the number of patients waiting more than four weeks rose from 30 to 83. A total of 91.7 per cent were admitted within the target period.

At North Tees and Hartlepool – which treated 1,579 patients in A&E last week – the number of patients waiting more than four weeks fell from 30 the previous week to 21 last week.