Almost 3 million patients in England waited more than four hours to be seen in A&E last year, the highest number since records began 16 years ago.
Figures from NHS England show 88% of patients were seen within four hours in 2018-19, the lowest-ever level, down from 88.3% in 2017-18.
It means 2,978,010 people were not seen within the target time.
The performance is worse in A&E departments at major hospitals: 81.5% of patients in what are termed “type 1” hospital A&Es were seen within four hours in 2018-19, compared with 82.4% the year before.
Experts say the latest data shows parts of the NHS are “creaking at the seams” and more funding is needed. It comes after almost 25 million people arrived at emergency departments seeking treatment last year, a record high.
“Growing numbers of people are waiting over four hours as demand continues to outstrip provision. It is becoming untenable for the NHS to maintain quality of care in the face of ever-rising demand from patients with increasingly complex conditions, ongoing funding issues and growing staff shortages,” said Tim Gardner, a senior policy fellow at the Health Foundation charity.
He added: “As the NHS begins to test new waiting time targets for A&E to replace the four-hour standard, it is absolutely vital that comparable data remains publicly available to maintain a consistent, long-term view of how the NHS is performing in the face of these pressures.”
Charities also expressed concern about waiting times for cancer treatment, with data on this also published by NHS Digital on Thursday. Figures showed almost 3,000 people waited longer than two months to start treatment after being urgently referred with suspected cancer by their GP.
In February, 76% of patients in England started cancer treatment within the target of 62 days of being urgently referred by their GP, against the target of 85%.
In the last 12 months, more than 33,000 people have waited more than two months for treatment to start after an urgent GP referral.
Dr Fran Woodard, the executive director of policy and impact at Macmillan Cancer Support, said when someone was diagnosed with cancer or told they had symptoms, the wait to see a specialist could be an anxious time.
“Yet today’s figures show that despite the best efforts of hardworking NHS staff, too many people are missing out on timely cancer care,” she said.
Hannah, 21, from Bradford, was referred by her GP for an urgent consultation with a haematologist about suspected lymphoma in July 2018. She did not see a specialist until September and did not start chemotherapy until December.
She said: “I was in a constant state of worry. My symptoms proceeded to get worse and my neck was incredibly swollen. I fell into a downward spiral of panic and worry.
“By August I thought, this is ridiculous, I need to know what is going on. I was constantly worried and I couldn’t sleep.”
NHS England has been approached for comment.
