THE number of patients waiting more than four hours for treatment at York Hospital’s accident and emergency department has almost trebled, according to new figures from the Department of Health.

The statistics, which provide a snapshot of the situation in the first week of April compared with the same period one year ago, show that 194 patients waited more than four hours to be treated in the week this year.

That is an increase of 295 per cent on the 49 patients who faced such a wait in the week in 2012.

The increases are reflected at some but not all other hospitals in the region and are indicative of the increased strain A & E departments have been coming under over the past year.

Labour has seized on the figures to claim that the NHS is returning to the “bad old days of the mid-1990s,” blaming severe staffing cuts and the knock-on effects of local council cuts to care services which led to ‘bed blocking’ on wards.

A spokeswoman for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said York Hospital had experienced a particularly busy winter with an increase in admissions.

“This, coupled with a significant and prolonged norovirus problem, has put pressure on our bed capacity which unfortunately has an impact on our A&E waiting times,” she said.

“This is a picture that is replicated up and down the country, and we are working hard with our commissioners, local authorities and other providers to improve the way all parts of the system operate and to work towards ensuring that only those patients who need acute care are in hospital."

She said patients in A&E were treated according to clinical need, and those requiring urgent attention were seen promptly. "However, when we are facing high demand those with minor or less urgent needs may find that they are waiting longer.

“Despite these pressures, we are pleased that most of our patients give positive feedback about our emergency departments, as evidenced in the latest national patient survey.”