PATIENTS faced waiting times of more than 22 hours at the city's A&E department after a busy weekend for the hospital.

An NHS website showed that the longest waiting time at Worcestershire Royal Hospital was 1,352 minutes at 2am yesterday.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said the site had an 'extremely busy weekend', although it has taken measures to ease the pressure.

Peter Pinfield, chair of Healthwatch Worcestershire, said: "The red light starts flashing after six hours.

"We have 18-hour breaches, which is one reason the trust has been in special measures.

"It is serious stuff. The very warm weather has added to the complications that people with conditions have had with breathing.

"If people do need treatment should we be sending them to Worcester? Could they go to Birmingham?"

Mr Pinfield added that the longer patients wait the more likely they are to suffer a complication, which could potentially prove fatal.

He said delays also affect the mental health of patients, carers and staff.

But a spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We had an extremely busy weekend at both our emergency departments and we would like thank all our staff, as well as colleagues in our partner organisations, who worked hard to make sure our patients were cared for safely and effectively.

“We have started today a planned two-week programme of coordinated work, with our health and care partners, which will help ease pressure on our urgent care system and free up beds by making sure that all patients who are medically fit for discharge can be sent home or transferred to another care facility in a safe and timely way.

“We would also like to remind local people of the range of alternatives which are available for urgent health care and advice, including Minor Injuries Units, pharmacists and NHS 111.”

To view waiting times at hospitals in Worcestershire go on www2.worcsacute.nhs.uk/how-busy-are-the-emergency-departments-and-minor-injuries-units-right-now/