Latest figures show how Chesterfield Royal Hospital is performing

Latest figures for March show the Royal hit the 85 per cent target of providing cancer care within 62 days, recording 88.7 per cent. The national average was 79.7 per cent.

And between January and March the hospital was well above the 75 per cent target of providing mental health therapy within six weeks, hitting 94 per cent. The national average was 88.9 per cent.

However, in April, the hospital missed the target of ensuring 95 per cent of A&E patients are seen within four hours, with the statistics showing it achieved 84.6 per cent. The Royal has not met this target since May 2018. The national average for April was 85.1 per cent.

While in March the hospital missed the 92 per cent target for patients having planned operations and care within 18 weeks of referral but did hit it in April.

A Royal hospital spokesperson said: “As is the case nationally, we continue to see a very high demand on our service from critically ill outpatients and inpatients. Whilst every effort is made to accommodate all planned procedures, we must prioritise the care of our emergency, urgent and cancer patients which means that, on occasion, some difficult decisions need to be made.

“The same applies to our emergency department that treats thousands of patients every month. We would always ask people to think about why they are visiting the emergency department and if their reason for coming can be more appropriately treated at one of the nearby minor injuries units, by calling their GP or asking for a phone consultation, calling 111, consulting their local pharmacy or even self-treating at home. This can help to result in a shorter wait for patients and allow our emergency department team to concentrate on emergency and urgent care.”