Almost 2,000 patients who attended A&E departments at Betsi Cadwaladr hospitals waited over 12 hours to be seen, figures for September have shown.

Figures released for September 2019 show that Betsi Cadwaladr was the worst performing health board in Wales for A&E waiting times, with the board failing to meet targets for patient waiting times.

Just 90.4 per cent of the 20,510 patients who attended at A&E departments in the health board area were seen inside 12 hours, with 1,973 waiting past the 12 hour mark.

Betsi Cadwaladr was also the worst performing board in terms of patients waiting over four hours with 5,809 patients waiting longer than four hours, meaning just 71.7 per cent were seen inside a four hour period.

Targets are for 95 per cent of patients to be seen inside four hours, while nobody should wait over 12 hours.

Deputy director of nursing, Deborah Carter, said: “We know some patients are waiting longer than they should in our emergency departments and we are working hard to improve this.

“We are undertaking a programme of improvement to support the way we manage the flow of patients through our emergency department’s to ensure those people who need emergency care get it as quickly as possible.

“This includes opening a new emergency department in both Ysbyty Gwynedd and Glan Clwyd Hospital and an acute area in Wrexham to support emergency admissions, having GPs at the front door to identify and support suitable patients as they arrive at the emergency department, and improving the process for assessing and treating children and young people.

“The focused work in our emergency department’s has demonstrated improvements and we need to continue with this.

“We always priorities people with the greatest clinical need so at times people who come to an emergency department with a minor injury or illness face longer waits.

“Many people who come to emergency departments could get help and support much more quickly by going to one of our minor injury units, their GP, or a local pharmacy.”