More than half of NHS trusts in Sussex fell short of their A&E waiting time targets last month.

Emergency departments run by three NHS trusts in the county failed to meet the target to admit or discharge more than three quarters of patients within four hours.

Figures for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust also stooped below the national average.

In October, just 65 per cent of patients at the two trusts were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

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Another trust, East Sussex Healthcare, also failed to meet the national target but were in line with national averages.

Emergency departments at Queen Victoria Hospital Trust and Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust saw nearly all patients within four hours.

A spokesman for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said: “We are focused on getting patients the care they need as quickly as possible.

"As the latest figures show, in October despite a surge in demand for our emergency care which saw us receive the highest number of ambulance attendances in Sussex and the second highest across the South-east, our emergency performance for type 1 care – which is the most seriously ill patients – was almost 10% above the national average.”

A University Hospitals Sussex spokeswoman added: "Our A&E staff work extremely hard to ensure their patients get the care they need as quickly as possible, often in very difficult circumstances.

"Demand has been rising - in our hospitals, we have seen a 10% increase in the need for emergency and urgent care compared to pre-Covid.

"These numbers reflect the pressures of the local health system, including GPs, social and community care and we are working extremely hard with our NHS and social care partners to improve the way we collectively look after people needing urgent care."