SOARING numbers of patients coming through the doors of A&E at Sandwell and West Birmingham hospitals have led to more than 7,000 having a wait of more than four hours since April.

Labour's parliamentary candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis described the number of people having long waits as "shocking", blaming the Government rather than the hospitals.

Figures released by the trust show that 107,672 patients attended the A&E departments at Sandwell District General and City Hospitals from April to the end of October, compared with 100,812 in the same period last year.

With an average of 93.4 per cent being seen within the target time, that left more than 7,000 having waits of at least four hours, compared with over 5,700 for the same period last year.

A spokesman for Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust said: "So far in 2014/15 the trust has seen more patients in less than four hours in our A&E departments than in 2013/14. "However, the percentage seen inside the standard has fallen from 94.3 per cent to 93.4 per cent because volumes arriving have risen.

"The trust itself has invested over £5 million in emergency care in the last two years, and short-term investments of over £3 million have been made from outside. "Last winter we performed better on the A&E standard in winter than summer, and our plan now is to continue to work extremely hard to improve services further.

"The trust is the most improved ambulance wait organisation in the area and we are proud of the efforts of staff to tackle the issues we face."

Stephanie Peacock, Labour parliamentary candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, said more than 3,345 patients had spent longer than four hours in the two A&E departments between July and the end of September - a rise of nearly 500 in a year.

She added: "These latest figures for A&E wait times are shocking, with such a huge increase within a year.

"This Government has wasted billions on an unnecessary re-organisation of NHS, rather than putting money into the front line. There have been cuts to social care and its now harder to see a GP."

The Sandwell and West Birmingham trust is urging local people, GPs and ambulance crews to use the Primary Care Assessment and Treatment unit opened at Rowley Regis Hospital early this year whenever possible.

It offers shorter waits and is led by GPs, supported by nurses.