The trust which runs Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) has responded after fears of pressure on A&Es having “spiralled out of control”.

King’s College Hospital NHS Trust had 76 per cent of its patients discharged, transferred or admitted to a ward within four hours of arriving last year.

However, this is below the NHS target of 95 per cent.

Vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Chris Martin, believes A&E pressure has “spiralled out of control” and said it will “snap” if it keeps being stretched.

A spokesman for the PRUH said it was sorry to anyone who has experienced long waiting times.

The hospital said it was facing “extreme pressure” on its resources because of a significant increase in people coming to A&E.

It also pointed to an ageing and growing Bromley population, meaning very young and very old people are requiring the most care.

The statement added: “Delays in patients being discharged, caused by a number of factors including residential care home placements, have a knock-on effect for patients coming into hospital for inpatient treatment as there is a limited number of beds.

“The hospital, our commissioners and the local authority have also invested in schemes to help reduce these pressures and provide more capacity where most needed.

"Some of these are helping avoid people having to come into hospital in the first place by managing their care in community settings and supporting them to keep well and independent at home.

"Examples of these schemes include additional resources in health and social care to redirect patients to the most appropriate place of care, a new rapid response service which goes out to patients with an urgent care need in the community within two hours, additional community beds to enable people to leave hospital when they are clinically fit, proactive community based care for our most vulnerable patients and additional GP appointments provided from 8am to 8pm seven days a week."

With winter approaching, the PRUH has asked people to help out by taking steps to stay well.

It advised high-risk groups to get vaccinated against flu and asked those with diarrhoea and vomiting not to come to hospital in case it spreads.

Princess Royal University Hospital recently closed its blood test unit to improve the flow of patients in and out of the building.

It turned the unit into a discharge lounge to help staff during winter.

Patients who have contacted News Shopper recently have branded the hospital's A&E a "shambles", with one saying Orpington and Bromley desperately needs another A&E unit.