Hospital's hitting A&E four-hour target times

The latest figures from NHS Digital showed that 94.7 per cent of people visiting A&E at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital in 2015-16 were seen within four hours.

At the city’s Children’s Hospital, 98 per cent of youngsters were seen within four hours.

But elsewhere in South Yorkshire A&E departments fell just below the national target.

In Doncaster, 94.5 per cent of people were seen in four hours, 92.2 per cent in Barnsley and 90.5 per cent in Rotherham.

The NHS Digital data showed there were 20.5m attendances recorded at A&E in England during 2015-16.

Kirsten Major, director of strategy and operations at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Just like most other hospitals across the NHS we have continued to see high numbers of people attending A&E throughout the winter months, and in particular there is a high number of sick patients who need admission to hospital.

“Our staff work exceptionally hard and all patients are triaged on arrival to determine their clinical need.

“It is testament to our fantastic staff that even at our busiest times we have not closed our doors and indeed on average eight out of 10 patients are treated and discharged or admitted within four hours of arrival at the emergency department.

“Last year we achieved 94.7 per cent and our year to date figure so far is 84.6 per cent. We do of course prioritise the sickest patients over those who have more minor injuries or illnesses.”

John Somers, chief executive of Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust said: ""This result comes as part of our continued efforts to provide the best quality care for children and young people in South Yorkshire.

"By working here at Sheffield Children's and in partnership with other providers and GPs to provide training on common childhood conditions, we hope to make sure every child in our region and beyond gets the right care at the right time."