PERFORMANCE against the A&E waiting times standard in Gwent hospitals in May was again the best in Wales, while once more falling short of the target.

The latest figures show that 89.3 per cent of people attending emergency departments in the area last month were dealt with inside four hours. The target is 95 per cent.

Of Welsh hospitals with full A&E units, Nevill Hall in Abergavenny recorded the best performance, with 90.7 per cent of the 3,741 patients attending during May being dealt with inside four hours. At the Royal Gwent, the rate was 84 per cent (of 6,894) patients.

It must be stressed that in Gwent as in other parts of Wales, the figures include performance in minor injuries units, where waits tend to be shorter, so the 'pure' A&E performance against the target is likely to be lower.

While Gwent has led the way in terms of A&E waiting times performance in recent months, it is some way short of the 95 per cent target that has been reached in the last few years only at a few individual A&E units, and the achievement has not been sustainable.

Predicting when surges in demand occur and staffing units accordingly helps make hospitals better prepared and able to minimise waiting times in periods of peak demand, but it is not an exact science, and difficulties in filling staffing rotas and ensuring sufficient senior cover is available, are key problems.

The issue of waits of more than 12 hours in A&E is also proving difficult to manage. There were 325 such waits across Gwent units in May, the lowest since February and the second lowest in the past eight months - but the aim is that no patient should wait that long.