By Alexandra Thompson Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 12:11 GMT, 14 February 2019 | Updated: 12:18 GMT, 14 February 2019
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A&E wait times in England have reached their worst level since the four-hour target was introduced in 2004.
Data from NHS England shows just 84.4 per cent of patients were treated or admitted in four hours in January, compared to the 95 per cent target.
This means once a decision was made to admit them, nearly 83,519 people in January alone waited longer than they should to be officially admitted or found a bed.
And since the target was last hit in July 2015, nearly 333,000 patients have endured unacceptably long waits.
An expert has claimed the 'NHS is fighting a losing battle' in trying to get the public seen on time.
A&E waiting times in England have reached their worst level since 2004 (stock)
Nuffield Trust's chief economist Professor John Appleby said: 'Today's figures remind us the NHS is fighting a losing battle in trying to meet its commitments to provide timely healthcare in the face of the pressure it is under.
'There is a risk we lose sight of these problems as Brexit distracts us or become numbed as we forget the last time targets were met.
'But this situation has a serious impact on hundreds of thousands of patients and will be demoralising for many staff.'
The data reveals 15.6 per cent of patients spent more than four hours waiting to go to A&E last month.
'It looks like the gap between the service's capacity and the care we need from it is widening,' Mr Appleby said.
'Only two major emergency departments in England met the four-hour target and
