article_snippet: In the week ending March 1, 91 per cent of patients spent less than four hours in A&E before being discharged or admitted to a hospital ward - short of the 95 per cent target.
article_snippet: 95 per cent – the national target specifying the proportion of patients that should spend four hours or less in A&E before being sent home or admitted elsewhere in the hospital.
article_snippet: 92 per cent – average performance against the four-hour target by major A&E departments in 2014.
article_snippet: In January figures revealed A&E waiting times had plummeted to the lowest level in a decade.
article_snippet: The four-hour target counts the patients who spend a total of less than 240 minutes between arrival and leaving the department, having been either discharged or admitted to an inpatient bed in another part of the hospital.
article_snippet: In 2005-06 the target, then of seeing 98 per cent of patients within four hours, was met for the first time.
article_snippet: In 2010, the expectation was relaxed slightly, with The four-hour target lowered to 95 per cent of patients who should be treated and discharged or admitted within four hours.
highlights_snippet: Today's weekly figures show 91% of patients seen within four hours .
  