Figures released today show that for week ending 28/12, only 66% of patients were seen within 4 hours, for week before it was 70%. Under Labour the target of 98% was regularly achieved.

Daniel Zeichner said: “When I visited Addenbrookes just before Christmas I was struck that the Accident and Emergency Unit was very calm and well-ordered. Staff are clearly doing their utmost to deal with unprecedented demand, but the message from senior physicians was very clear – more capacity is needed to allow them to cope. The latest figures, showing that a third of people are waiting over four hours are deeply disappointing – and at a hospital in the constituency of former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley should be a source of deep shame for the coalition government. The evidence is now very, very clear – with Labour, the health service improves leaps and bounds, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats it goes backwards.”