Three in five people who arrived at A&E at Oxford hospitals were seen within four hours last month, new figures show – falling significantly short of the NHS recovery target.

The NHS standard is for 95 per cent of patients to be seen within four hours.

However, the Government announced a two-year plan to stabilise NHS services earlier this year which set a recovery target of 76 per cent of patients being seen within four hours by March 2024.

NHS England figures show there were 15,964 visits to A&E at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in October.

Of them, 9,845 were seen within four hours – accounting for 62 per cent of arrivals.

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It means Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust fell well short of the recovery target and the NHS standard.

Across England, some 70 per cent of patients were seen within four hours in A&Es last month, down from 72 per cent in September.

The figure hit a record low of 65 per cent in December 2022.

The numbers also show 44,655 people waited over 12 hours in A&E departments from a decision to admit to actually being admitted, up 35 per cent from September.

At Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 929 patients waited longer than four hours.

Health think tank The King’s Fund, said this winter will be "bleak" for the NHS, particularly as it faces high levels of flu and Covid-19 in the coming weeks.

Danielle Jefferies, senior analyst at the think tank, added the number of people waiting more than four hours to be seen is "far from the performance standards patients would expect".

She said: "To get the sector back on track in the longer term and break the cycle of ‘bad’ winters, bold action by government and national leaders will be necessary."

"This includes action to make health and care a more attractive career, bolstering out-of-hospital care such as primary, community and social care services, and helping people live healthier lives through a focus on prevention."

NHS England said A&E had the busiest October on record as 2.2 million people attended accident and emergency departments.

The overall number of attendances to A&E at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in October was a rise of 5 per cent on the 15,170 visits recorded during September, and 5 per cent more than the 15,172 patients seen in October 2022.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: "Today’s figures are a stark reminder of the ongoing pressures the NHS is facing, particularly in emergency care with significant demand for ambulances and A&E, as we head into what we are expecting to be another challenging winter in the health service."

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He added local areas are prioritising urgent and emergency care as strikes have had a significant impact on staff and patients.

"And as ever, the public can help play their part this winter by getting their flu and Covid-19 vaccinations when eligible," he added.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "The NHS is seeing high demand for urgent and emergency care, including record A&E attendances for October, and we are backing it with billions of investment to improve performance."

They added an additional £800million will be provided this winter to support services.