THE percentage of people seen within four hours of arriving at York hospital trust A&E departments in May was lower than the average for all trusts across England, new figures show.

NHS England data shows there were 20,973 visits to A&E at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in May.

Of these, 14,272 were seen within four hours – accounting for 68 per cent of arrivals.

Across England, 74 per cent of patients were seen within four hours, a slight fall from the month before.

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A spokesperson for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The overall number of attendances to our emergency departments and urgent treatment centres in May was a rise of five per cent rise on the 19,983 visits recorded during April, and four per cent more than the 20,196 patients seen in May 2023.

“Similar to hospitals across the country, our emergency departments continue to be very busy, and we urge people to help us by using alternatives such as NHS 111 if they are unsure whether to go to the emergency department.

"This will ensure that when people need help, they are guided to the best possible appropriate care and treatment, and our emergency teams can focus on those most in need.”

The NHS target is for 95 per cent of patient arrivals to A&E to be seen within four hours.

However, as part of a recovery plan, the health service has an objective for 78 per cent of patients to be seen within this time frame in March 2025.

'It’s no surprise that the NHS is again at the top of many polls on what matters most to voters as we head towards a general election.'

Figures also show that across England, 42,555 emergency admissions waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments from a decision to admit to actually being admitted – up from 42,078 in April.

The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission also increased, from 134,344 in April to 138,770 in May.

At York And Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 1,606 patients waited longer than four hours, including 762 who were delayed by more than 12 hours.

Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at The King’s Fund, said: "Today’s performance figures cover the traditionally quieter spring and summer period, yet they show the NHS is still under incredible pressure with patients waiting far longer than they should for care.

"It’s no surprise that the NHS is again at the top of many polls on what matters most to voters as we head towards a general election.

"At the end of the day, politicians, national bodies, health care staff and the public all want timely and high-quality care to be available for all – it is now up to the next government to make that possible."

About 2.4 million people attended A&E departments across England last month – the highest number on record.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: "As these figures show, demand for NHS services across the country remains high.

"May was a record month for urgent and emergency services, with the highest number of A&E attendances as well as being the busiest May for the most urgent ambulance call-outs, while staff delivered a record number of elective appointments for April."