Only 73.8% of people attending Accident & Emergency departments were treated and discharged or admitted within four hours of their arrival during 2014/15 despite the target being 95%, according to the latest A&E waiting times. Ulster Unionist Party health spokesperson Jo-Anne Dobson MLA, said last year's performance was a further deterioration on the year before and demonstrates that the crisis facing hospitals is continuing to deepen. She said, ‘This gridlock is not only bad for our hospitals and staff, but it’s bad for the health of patients. Delays in receiving treatment can often lead to conditions worsening, and I am often told by medical practitioners that hospitals are not always a safe place for patients if they do not absolutely need to be there.’