Patient waiting times at NHS hospitals in UK double since 2012

Delays at emergency departments of public-funded British hospitals have doubled since last year as trusts fail to see patients before a recommended four-hour deadline, a new study shows.

The hospital regulator group, Monitor, released a report to the press on Sunday that said 31 out of the 145 National Health Service (NHS) foundation trusts missed the target between April and June this year compared to 13 hospitals over the same period in 2012.

Monitor found a 22 percent increase of trusts missing the four-hour waiting time limit.

Health officials have criticized the NHS’s quality of service and warned the lack of support will push emergency departments into collapse during the upcoming winter months.

The delays at accident and emergency (A&E) departments comes amid British Prime Minister David Cameron’s cuts of up to £20 billion in the NHS Trust budget by 2015.

The new findings drew an angry response from opposition Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham.

“David Cameron’s ill-judged NHS reorganization has placed the NHS in the danger zone,” Burnham said.

“This ­survey shows the pressure is now being felt in all parts of the NHS, with even the highest performing organizations losing their grip on waiting times.”