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" The Department of Health has denied recent claims that waiting times at accident and emergency (A&amp;amp;amp;E) departments in England have soared. Figures obtained by BBC Newsnight, and reported in the Guardian, suggested that the number of patients waiting more than four hours for treatment had risen by 63 per cent since the previous government&amp;#039;s waiting time target was scrapped. Shadow health secretary John Healey told the Guardian that the increases would &amp;#039;raise further concerns about the government&amp;#039;s handling of the NHS&amp;#039;. However, a spokesperson for the Department of Health refuted the claims and insisted that the figures were &amp;#039;misleading&amp;#039;. &amp;#039;The reality is that last year around 2.2 per cent of people waited at A&amp;amp;amp;E for over four hours, now it is only 3.5 per cent,&amp;#039; they revealed. The spokesperson also pointed out that the government has just introduced a new set of clinical quality indicators to provide a &amp;#039;more balanced and comprehensive view&amp;#039; of the quality of care, after doctors and nurses criticised the four hour standard for its focus on time alone. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a20855/government-defends-ae-waiting-times-record/>