HAMPSHIRE hospital chiefs have apologised after "unprecedented demand" saw almost a quarter of patients wait longer than the NHS target to be seen in A&E last month.

Figures released by NHS England for December show just 76 per cent of patients attending Winchester and Basingstoke hospitals' A&E units were admitted, transferred or discharged in less than four hours after their arrival.

Across the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) sites, a total of 11,155 people came through the doors of the A&E departments, with 2,679 having to wait longer than four hours across the 31-day period.

Casualty units are set a target of seeing at least 95 per cent of patients within four hours but last month the national performance of just 79.8 per cent was the worst achieved since the performance records began in 2004.

Across 2019, HHFT's hospitals reportedly treated an additional 10,000 patients compared to the previous year.

Dr Lara Alloway, chief medical officer at HHFT, said: “We are sorry that some of our patients faced long waits in our emergency departments during December.

“We do not want anybody to spend longer than is absolutely necessary in our emergency departments, but we faced unprecedented demand on our services throughout 2019, with an unexpected eight per cent rise in the number of patients attending our emergency departments and minor injuries unit.

“Over the course of 2019, we cared for over 10,000 patients more than we did in 2018. To put that in context, we treated roughly 10,000 patients on average each month in 2018, so last year we cared for an extra month’s worth of patients."

Nationally, more than two million people attended A&E last month, equating to more than 70,000 people every day.

“In addition to this increase in demand, patients who require our help during the winter months tend to be more unwell and need to be in hospital for longer," said Dr Alloway. "This means that our hospitals fill up, making it hard to find beds for new patients needing to be admitted from the emergency department.

“Our emergency departments continue to be very busy. Please think carefully about whether your illness is an emergency before you come to the emergency department – and if you are unsure, dial 111 or visit www.111.nhs.uk for free advice.”