MORE than 30 per cent of patients who attended the Royal Gwent Hospital’s emergency department last month waited more than the standard four hours.

In December, 69.7 per cent of the 6,324 people who attended were dealt with inside four hours.

This was the second lowest rate among Wales’ 13 A&E units, and the worst at the Royal Gwent since last March (67.1 per cent), during the tail end of a very busy winter.

Last month’s figures were a harbinger of another tough winter, A&E pressures subsequently hitting the headlines in Wales and much of the rest of the UK, particularly since Christmas.

In December 2015, A&E at the Royal Gwent

dealt with slightly more patients than last month, but performance was slightly better, at 71.7 per cent.

Performance against the four-hour target in A&E at Nevill Hall Hospital last month was 87.4 per cent, the second highest in Wales.

Overall in Gwent A&E units last month, 572 patients waited more than 12 hours to be dealt with, two-thirds more than during December 2015, though other parts of Wales recorded large increases in waits of this magnitude.

Vanessa Young, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, which represents health boards and other NHS bodies, said A&E departments are seeing more older patients “who need admission due to the complexity and severity of their condition.”

“Staff are working tirelessly with colleagues in primary care, social services, the ambulance service, and the voluntary sector to meet patients’ needs during this very busy winter period,” she said.

“We would also encourage people to work with us, by choosing the right service when they are unwell.”

For more information on selecting the appropriate NHS service, visit www.choosewellwales.org.uk