Just two-thirds of patients who arrived at accident and emergency at Plymouth Hospitals Trust last month were seen within four hours, new figures show.

The NHS standard is for 95% of patients to be seen within four hours. However, as part of a recovery plan, the health service aims for 78% of patients to be seen within this time frame by March 2025.

Recent NHS England figures show there were 14,016 visits to A&E at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust in November. Of them, 9,258 were seen within four hours – accounting for 66% of arrivals.

About 72% of patients in England were seen within four hours in A&Es last month, down from 73% in October.

Figures also show 45,791 emergency admissions waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments from a decision to admit to actually being admitted – an improvement from 49,592 the month before.

The number waiting at least four hours from a decision to admit to admission also fell, standing at 140,782 patients in November.

At University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, 1,171 patients waited longer than four hours, including 604 who were delayed by more than 12 hours.

Danielle Jefferies, senior analyst at The King’s Fund, said: "The situation in the NHS is fraught as it enters what looks to be a deeply troubling winter."

She added the "sticky issue" is that the health service must navigate a long list of priorities, including keeping patients safe in A&E this winter, meeting the 18-week waiting times target, and delivering long-term ambitions to shift more care into the community.

She said: "When there are many priorities to juggle and extremely tight financial constraints, local leaders will be looking for clarity in the upcoming annual planning guidance for NHS services to support them with the difficult conversations and trade-offs which are already happening."

About 2.3 million people attended A&E departments across England last month, making it the busiest November on record.

The overall number of attendances to A&E at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust in November was a drop of 6% on the 14,966 visits recorded during October, but 12% more than the 12,492 patients seen in November 2023.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said: "The tidal wave of flu cases and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals is really concerning for patients and for the NHS – the figures are adding to our 'quad-demic' worries."

He added he "cannot stress enough" the importance of vaccination to protect against serious illness and avoid "festive flu".

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting similarly said: "With A&Es facing record demand, we are continuing to encourage people to protect themselves, their family, and the NHS by getting vaccinated before it's too late."