HUNDREDS of hospital patients are continuing to spend hours in accident and emergency departments while waiting for a bed to become available.

The county’s hospitals have remained under pressure as they deal with high demands from patients and bed shortages.

Latest figures published by NHS England show more than 1,700 patients waited between four and 12 hours for a bed on a ward during February after a decision had been made to admit them.

However, performances are starting to improve, with none of Sussex’s three main trusts breaching the national 12 hour wait target for that month.

Figures for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust show 979 patients waited up to 12 hours for a bed.

East Sussex Healthcare had 665 patients while Western Sussex Hospitals had 144.

The information shows all three trusts failed to hit the national target of having 95 per cent of patients seen, treated and either admitted or discharged within four hours.

Western Sussex had the highest number at 93.2 per cent, higher than the national average for February of 87. 6 per cent.

Brighton and Sussex had a figure of 80.3 per cent while East Sussex Healthcare was 76.1 per cent.

A large part of the problem is caused by patients who are ready to be discharged taking up beds because there is no place available for them in the community or a package of care in their own homes has not been arranged.

In recent months hospital wards have been working at capacity levels higher than recommended for safety.

Campaigners are continuing to call on the Government to invest in NHS and social care services in a bid to ease the pressures.

A spokesman for the Patient Action Group in Sussex said: “Hospital staff are doing the best they can in very difficult circumstances but it is clear more needs to be done to help them.”

Hospitals say a great deal of work has gone in to making the flow of patients from A&E on to the wards smoother.

This has included Brighton and Sussex opening extra beds in Newhaven for patients no longer needing urgent care.

NHS Improvement has also approved up to £30 million of extra funding to improve the layout at the A&E department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and increase capacity there.

This was announced when new trust chief executive Marianne Griffiths took up her post at the start of the month.

However, there continues to be fears from groups including Sussex Defend the NHS about the impact of controversial sustainability and transformation plans.

These set out how health and social care services will work over the next five years although the public is yet to see the full details.

The changes for the Sussex and East Surrey region alone are expected to lead to hundreds of millions of pounds of savings needing to be made.

Pressure groups fear this will lead to job losses and cuts in services.

However, there is no indication at this stage of any plans to lose hospital services in Sussex.