Waiting times in Lincolnshire accident and emergency departments are the worst in the country, according to new figures.
Lincolnshire hospitals rank the lowest out of 131 trusts for patient waiting time, and miss the NHS’s target by 32%.
Only 63% of patients at Lincolnshire A&E’s are treated or admitted within four hours of arrival, compared to the target of 95%, and the national average of 84.4%.
This data has been released by the BBC following the NHS’s plans to drop the four-hour target.
A spokesperson for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Over the last year we have seen more patients using our services, often above national increases, which has placed pressure on all of our hospitals.
“We also have workforce challenges, which reflect national shortages of staff across a range of specialities and like many rural areas we have been particularly affected by this.”
The Care Quality Commission’s inspection rating says that United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust “requires improvement” in light of these statistics.
Out of the four targets the NHS has given, Lincolnshire hospitals only hit one – the national target for ‘mental health therapy within six weeks’ is 75%, and Lincolnshire is at 86%. However, this still places Lincoln 144th out of 195 areas.
The NHS has said that these targets are becoming outdated, despite the majority of them being missed.
