Lewisham and Greenwich patients are waiting far longer than they should to be seen at their local A&E, according to new NHS figures showing a winter crisis in the health service.

According to statistics from NHS England, just 86.6 per cent of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust A&E patients were seen within four hours over the past three months - far below the national target of 95 per cent. During the same period a year ago, 92.1 per cent were seen in the recommended time.

And the week before Christmas saw just a combined 83.4 per cent of cases at Woolwich's Queen Elizabeth and Lewisham Hospitals meet the target as 5,111 people came through their doors.

The news comes as national figures show A&E waiting times are at their worst levels for more than a decade, with several hospitals elsewhere in the country declaring "major incidents" as they struggle to cope with winter demand.

Although there is no breakdown between the two hospitals, it is understood Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth have had a similar performance in recent months, despite the opening of a winter pressures ward in Lewisham with 20 beds and a number of new facilities at Woolwich.

A spokesman for the trust said: "We are working with our partners to handle the demand for emergency services.  Like many trusts, we have found meeting the four hour A&E waiting target a challenge – despite the hard work of our staff.  The large number of patients requiring hospital treatment continues to increase.

"As a result, we have opened wards and increased the number of beds for patients who come through our emergency departments.  

"We are making further improvements and have also set up command centres at University Hospital Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital to oversee performance in the emergency departments and ensure we provide the best possible care for patients.  Under these arrangements, senior staff monitor performance and take early action where there could be delays.

"It’s also important that local people only use emergency departments for emergencies and for when they need urgent hospital care.  You can visit nhs.uk or call 111 if you want to find out the options which are available, such as pharmacists which are open late."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt - who tried and failed to downgrade Lewisham's A&E - said of the national picture: "I think we also have to recognise, despite the particular pressures, despite the major incidents - and you always get some major incidents at this time of year - that the NHS is continuing to see in A&E departments nine out of 10 people within the four hour target.

"That is actually better than any other country in the world that measures these things."

Lewisham Hospital campaigner and member of the National Health Action Party Dr Louise Irvine said: "The real issue is the lack of capacity of hospitals to treat, admit and care for patients, causing back pressure in A&E."

She added: "Sick patients are stuck in A&E as there are insufficient doctors to treat them and cuts in the number of hospital beds mean they can’t be admitted onto wards. Ambulances are then unable to offload their own patients as A&E units are full.

"Meanwhile cuts to social care budgets mean there are more elderly people needing admittance to hospital and then suffering delayed discharge due to ‎a lack of community care."