CLOSE to 1,000 patients who attended accident and emergency departments at Gwent's two biggest hospitals in November waited more than four hours, according to the latest figures.

The Royal Gwent and Nevill Hall Hospitals dealt with 9,222 patients that month, 10.8 per cent of them waiting for more than the maximum four-hour target time.

The 89.2 per cent rate for dealing with patients inside four hours remains well below the 95 per cent target set by the Assembly however, the Royal Gwent accounting for much of the bottleneck, with Nevill Hall consistently on or above the target rate.

Waits for assessment and delays in finding beds for patients requiring admission are among the most persistent problems.

Gwent A&E departments are Wales' busiest, seeing more than 400 patients more in November than departments at hospitals in Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust area, but out-performing Cardiff against the four-hour target.