A thousand more patients under East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust were waiting more than four hours to be admitted to A&E last December when compared with six months before.

The increase meant 2,135 people were waiting more than four hours between a decision to be admitted and admission to A&E.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson Adam Robertson, said: "Our NHS isn't just at breaking point – it's splitting at its very seams.

"The Government's failure to tackle the crisis in our NHS is letting down people in Waveney and putting patients' lives at risk. People in our area deserve far better.

"How much more evidence do Ministers need? They either don't care or just can't grasp the scale of this problem.

"Unacceptable and heart-breaking delays mean the government is falling far short even on its own targets.

"Liberal Democrats are demanding the government release the money they promised to help discharge patients from hospitals, and launch a campaign to recruit the extra paramedics and ambulance staff we need."

The statistics published by NHS England also showed the number of patients waiting more than 12 hours before admission rose from just eight in July to 356 in December 2022.

The NHS sets a four-hour standard for patients to be seen and treated or discharged and a 12-hour standard for their transfer from A&E to a specialist bed.

East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust encompasses Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, Aldeburgh, Clacton, Halstead, Harwich and Felixstowe community hospitals and Bluebird Lodge near Ipswich.

Nick Hulme

Nick Hulme, chief executive at the trust, said: "It has been an incredibly challenging time for our hospitals and demand for our services has far exceeded all our expectations.

"This has had a huge impact on our emergency departments are we are sorry that some patients have had to wait longer.

"Our staff are working extremely hard to see patients as quickly as possible and provide safe, effective care."

The number of people waiting more than four hours has fluctuated over the last 12 months. It was actually higher in October 2022 than December by 32 patients, but the overall trend has shown an incline since August.

The figure was 1,116 in July, 795 in August, 1,165 in September, 2,167 in October, 1,679 in November and 2,135 in December.