NEW figures show that more than 100 people waited 12 hours to be seen at the University Hospital of Wales A&E last month.

Against the four-hour target, performance at the hospital also declined dramatically against the previous month, with 81.7 per cent of patients being seen within that period. In February the figure was 85.7 per cent.

Figures show that 101 patients at the Heath Hospital were forced to wait more than 12 hours.

Regional AM, Andrew RT Davies, expressed his disappointment at the latest results and said that Vale residents - many of whom depend on the UHW for emergency services - deserve better.

Mr Davies said: “I am deeply concerned by the huge rise in the number of patients being forced to wait more than 12 hours to be seen. It’s simply unacceptable and is a symptom of the Welsh Labour Government’s failure to invest properly in the Welsh NHS.

“Despite the tireless efforts of frontline staff, in some A&E departments more than one in three patients are still waiting over four hours, and Labour’s 95 per cent four hour target has not been met once since Carwyn Jones became First Minister in 2009.

“For people from the Vale the picture isn’t much better and the reality is that they face long waits either in Cardiff or at the Princess of Wales. It’s just not good enough.”