WAITING times at Musgrove Park Hospital are consistently longer than national targets, figures reveal.

The hospital, which is ran by Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, has come underfire for continuing to miss targets in three key areas.

A BBC analysis of figures show the trust has failed to meet targets for A&E waiting times, cancer care within 62 days, and planning operations and care within 18 weeks.

The national target for seeing A&E patients within four hours of their arrival is set at 95 per cent. Musgrove Park Hospital is only slightly underperforming with its highly stretched services at 90 per cent - ranking 50th out of 130 trusts. This target was last met in April 2017.

But for starting cancer treatments, the trust ranks at 99th out of 131 trusts, at 74.7 per cent of patients seen, against the target of 85 per cent.

For planning operations and care within 18 weeks of referrals, the trust is near to the last on the list, ranking 121 out of 126 trusts.

The target is set at 92 per cent, with the trust reaching 76.6 per cent.

The county is, however, excelling in one area. The target for starting mental health therapy within six weeks of referral is at 75 per cent, but NHS Somerset has hit highs of 96 per cent.

But what can be done to speed things up? The NHS across the county is seeing the most patients through its hospital doors than ever before.

Dr Stuart Walker, chief medical officer, said minimising wait times is a ‘priority’ for the trust, and other target are being met in the face of growing demand.

He said: “Like many other hospitals in the South West, we are seeing more patients than ever before.

“We have seen a significant rise in the number of patients in our emergency department. Last winter, we saw a 10 per cent increase in demand, and treated more patients within the four-hour target than ever before.

“Three-quarters of our patients with a confirmed diagnosis of cancer get treatment within 62 days and we are meeting the national two week target for referrals of patients with suspected cancer.

“We know that quick access to care improves patient outcomes, and minimising any wait for treatment is a priority for the trust.”