Operations delayed and targets missed as NHS England has busiest year in its history

More than 500,000 extra people visited A&E between March 2015 and March 2016, making it the busiest year on record

A record number of people were treated over the last year (PA)

NHS England has struggled with delays, cancellations and missed targets during its busiest year in history, with cancer patients in need of urgent treatment waiting months for help.

England saw 23 million people visiting A&E alone between March 2015 and March 2016, with figures over a whole year showing that, as admissions have risen, targets have suffered.

The statistics show a rise of more than 500,000 people visiting A&E departments over the previous year, with 2,088,674 of those people seen in March this year – making it the busiest month on record, 7.5 per cent up on 2015.

However, over the past year A&E has fallen short of its aim to see 95 per cent of patients within four hours, managing 91.9 per cent over the year and 87.3 per cent in March 2016.

Despite the failure to achieve the 95 per cent target, the actual number of people seen within four hours at A&E during the period was the highest ever at 21 million due to the sheer volume of people coming through the doors.

In March, seven out of eight cancer treatment targets were met, but only 84 per cent of patients waiting for urgent cancer assessment were seen within 62-days of a letter being sent from their GP for urgent referral and their appointment, which is 1 per cent down on the 85 per cent target.

There were also record high delays in patients being discharged from hospital, with almost 170,000 people experiencing this, while 8.5 per cent of people needing routine operations had more than a four and a half month stint on the waiting list.

Despite the poor figures, staff are working harder and seeing more patients than ever before, with the sheer number of admissions putting a strain on the service.