THE health board have admitted waiting times for A&E are far too long after 'deep concern' was raised over latest figures.

A&E waiting times, published by StatsWales, show that just 74.4 per cent of patients are seen within four hours in Wales.

The worst performing hospital in the country in Glan Clwyd Hospital, in Bodelwyddan, which saw 57.5 per cent of patients within four hours.

Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor saw 69.9 per cent of patients within four hours.

The stats are from November 2019.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) was also the worst performing health board when it came to 12-hour waits, with 90.4 percent being seen within 12 hours.

The worst performing hospital was Glan Clwyd Hospital with 81.9 per cent of attendances being seen within 12 hours.

A spokesperson from BCUHB said: "While we have made sustained improvements in our performance in recent months we know there is still more to do and we are now entering that time of year when we expect to see an increase in demand for our services.

“We know the current situation is still not good enough and we are working hard to improve the way our patients who visit the Emergency Department are seen, as our waiting times are far too long.

“We are grateful for the additional £2.1m funding from Welsh Government to support us with our winter plans.

“Work is continuing with our partners in the Welsh Ambulance Service on re-directing appropriate cases to community hospitals thereby avoiding unnecessary conveyances to the Emergency Department and freeing up emergency ambulance crews to respond to other patients.

“This funding will also be used invest in initiatives aimed at assisting with the clinical management of older patients with complex and chronic medical conditions.

“People who visit our Emergency Department are prioritised based on the level of the care they need, and we continue to urge people to help us deliver the best care we can by choosing the right source of treatment to meet their needs."

BCUHB has been special measures since 2015.

Darren Millar, AM for Clwyd West, said: "When NHS organisations go into special measures they are supposed to get better, not worse, yet we now have one in five patients in our local A&E for 12 hours or more and just over half are seen within four hours, it's a disgrace.

“Excessive waits in emergency departments can put people at risk of harm and cause considerable distress to patients, especially young children, older people and the chronically ill."

Information on the best source of treatment for residents can be found on the NHS Direct Wales by calling 0845 46 47.

Further advice on where to seek medical attention can be found on the Choose Well website or through the free Choose Well Wales app.