Shocking figures from NHS England reveal how long patients waited at the county’s major emergency department at Stoke Mandeville Hospital run by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

Half of the patients attending the major emergency department waited longer than four hours to be dealt with in December.

NHS guidance says 95 percent of patients at emergency departments should be admitted to hospital, transferred elsewhere or discharged within four hours.

At Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust only 49 percent of the 10,150 attendances at type 1 A&E departments were dealt with within four hours, figures from NHS England showed.

This means 51 percent of patients attending the emergency department waited longer four hours to be seen last month – compared to 46 precent in November, and 39 percent in December 2021.

The MP for Chesham and Amersham Sarah Green commented: “The Government’s failure to tackle the crisis in our NHS is letting down people across Buckinghamshire and putting patients’ lives at risk. 

“Unacceptable and heart-breaking delays mean the Government is falling far short, even on its own targets. 

“Far too many people are having to wait far too long to get the treatment they need. In many cases, this is literally a matter of life or death. People in our area deserve better.

“Our NHS isn't at breaking point - it’s splitting at its very seams."

Her party the Liberal Democrats were demanding the government to "release the money they promised to help discharge patients from hospitals and launch a campaign to recruit the extra paramedics and ambulance staff we need," she added. 

Type 1 department means emergency departments providing major emergency services with full resuscitation equipment and 24 hour consultant-led care, which account for the majority of attendances nationally.

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Including the 4,404 attendances at other accident and emergency departments, such as minor A&Es and those with single specialties, 62 percent of A&E patients were seen by the trust within the target time in December.

Across the NHS in England since July 2015 the 95 percent target has not been met. Last month, only 65 percent of A&E attendances were admitted, transferred or discharged – compared to 73 percent in December 2021 and 80 percent in December 2020.

Following the performance drop nationally, The King’s Fund health think tank said there is “no shying away from the reality that the NHS is deep in crisis”.

NHS medical director Stephen Powis said staff are continuing to work hard in the face of "extreme pressures".

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust declared a critical incident across the trust on December 30, including at Stoke Mandeville Hospital emergency department which was under significant pressure.