ST Helens’ MP has called on the government to ‘act urgently’ and provide extra funding to help meet the increasing demand to Whiston Hospital’s A&E department.

New figures released by NHS England have revealed that more than a quarter of patients waited more than four hours for admission, transfer or discharge, at the hospital in July.

Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens South and Whiston, has now accused the Conservative government of ‘paying lip service’ to the NHS.

She said: “The staff at Whiston Hospital A&E department provide brilliant care at the busiest emergency department on Merseyside, but it’s clear that they are being overstretched and under resourced by this government.

“With 2,552 patients – 26 per cent of all those who visited Whiston’s A&E in July – waiting more than four hours for admission, transfer or discharge, the Tories must act urgently to provide our hospital with the funding and staffing levels it needs.

“Our NHS has seen the biggest financial squeeze in its history under this government.

“The Tories pay lip service to supporting our NHS, but it’s time for them to focus on frontline services rather than backdoor privatisation.

“My constituents, and patients around the country, deserve better than a party focused on running the health service for profit, not patient care.”

Whiston Hospital, which is managed by St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, has seen unprecedented levels of demand in recent months.

Back in March the trust recorded its busiest day on record, seeing more than 400 admissions into its A&E department on a single day.

Earlier this month, work began on an extension to the A&E department to help address a 30 per cent increase in demand since the new hospital opened in 2010.

A trust spokesman said this extra demand has led to ‘unavoidable delays’.

“Whiston Hospital has the highest number of A&E attendances in the region, seeing and treating over 111,000 patients a year,” the spokesman said.

“As with all other hospitals across the country, we have experienced a significant increase in demand for services which has, at times, led to unavoidable delays.

“Our staff are responding to this increased pressure with exceptional professionalism and are working incredibly hard throughout the hospital to manage demand, while continuing to provide high standards of care.”