Almost everyone has experienced it, waiting for hours on end in an emergency room, either for yourself or family and friends.

Nobody wants waits, but is it something we have just become accustomed to?

The latest data from the NHS shows that waiting times for A and E at two South Essex hospitals are still extremely high.

Figures reveal that hundreds of patients were forced to wait for over four hours at both Basildon and Southend hospitals in February.

465 patients had to wait the excruciating amount of time at Basildon hospital, with 113 at Southend hospital facing the amount of waiting time.

A spokesman from Basildon Hospital, apologised for the waiting times. He said: "During February our staff worked incredibly hard and surpassed the national A&E waiting time target.

"Some 86.8% of patients were seen and treated, admitted or discharged within four hours of arriving at A&E – compared to a national average last month of 82.8%.

“We regret that more patients who required admission to hospital waited more than four hours compared to February 2019.

"Basildon Hospital experienced exceptionally high demand for urgent and emergency care services during the winter.

“In preparing for winter we built a new ward with an additional 37 bed capacity to support increased demand and improve our patients’ experience.”

Southend hospital was contacted for a statement.