A&E services have had the lowest percentage of patients seen within four hours since monitoring began in 2010.
NHS England’s A&E waiting time data showed that just over 10% of patients were not seen within the recommended four hour waiting time.
Only six out of the 140 units were able to meet the target of seeing 95% of patients within four hours in the seven days up to December 14.
On average only 89.8% of the 440,000 patients who visited A&E in that week were seen in time with trolley waits reaching a record high of 10,000.
Dr Barbara Hakin, national director of commissioning operations at NHS England, said the pressures were continuing to increase “significantly”.
“We have admitted more people to hospital this week to take care of them than in any previous week on record. I want to pay tribute to the staff dealing with that – they are doing a brilliant job.
“While we are now below the extremely high waiting time standards that we set ourselves, the service we provide remains robust.
“The NHS’s waiting times for urgent treatment are among the best for any major country that measures them.
“As we come into the holiday period, it is important people continue to look after themselves and nip problems in the bud.
“They should ensure they have proper medication, get their flu jab if they have not done so, and get advice from their pharmacist.”
