THE NHS is facing one of its “bleakest” winters on record, with hundreds of thousands of people waiting longer than ever in A&E.

New figures from NHS England released today show that emergency departments’ performance is at an all-time low.

The health service has also missed a raft of other targets, including for waiting times to start planned treatment and cancer care.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said it was “disgraceful” that the four-hour A&E waiting time target was not being met. He blamed a shortage of staff and funding for the problems.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock sought to deflect criticism by claiming today that the “figures show just how important it is that we stop Jeremy Corbyn” from becoming prime minister.

Around 84 per cent of patients were seen by A&E medics within four hours in October, the worst performance since the target of 95 per cent was set in 2004. It has not been met since July 2015.

Data for September shows that only 85 per cent of patients started treatment within 18 weeks, despite a target of 92 per cent. That target was last met in February 2016.

Some 77 per cent of the 4.4 million people on the cancer treatment waiting list started treatment within the target of 62 days in September, far below the target of 85 per cent.

Nuffield Trust chief economist Professor John Appleby warned that the “next government will immediately be faced with one of the bleakest winters in the NHS’s history.”

He said that 80,000 people have recently been recorded as waiting on trolleys in corridors for a hospital bed to become available and the number could increase to 100,000 by January.

“As the election promises roll in, we should be under no illusion about the money, staff and time it will take to turn this situation around,” Prof Appleby added.

The Unite union called the failure to hit the targets a “searing indictment of the Tories’ austerity programme since 2010.”

National officer for health Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe said: “It is clear that in cash terms the NHS is in ‘intensive care.’ 

“PM Boris Johnson’s claims to boost funding is an election mirage and can’t hide the Tories’ failure to sufficiently invest in the NHS.”

GMB national officer Rachel Harrison said that “only Labour” would offer a “proper rescue plan and urgent injection of money” that the NHS needs.