A hospital has defended its winter plans despite patients having an eight hour wait in accident and emergency last week.

North Middlesex University Hospital, in Sterling Way, Edmonton, felt the strain of a surge in patients.

The winter is always the toughest time for hospitals and calls have been made for more to be done after the waiting time went from four to eight hours.

Since December 2013, the hospital has taken on extra patients due to the closure of Chase Farm Hospital’s A&E.

In January 2015, the hospital failed to meet its target of 95 per cent of patients seen within four hours.

Councillor George Savva, of Haselbury Ward, was at the hospital last week and told the Enfield Independent of the shock at the eight hour wait.

He said: “I was there for an eye problem and I spoke with patients who were left stunned when told they would have to wait eight hours for an appointment, it’s just not good enough.”

Cllr Savva called for more money to be spent on nurses and doctors instead of executive positions.

He said: “We need more investment in doctors, there simply is not enough and the government must act on this.

“North Mid is a good place and the people were very keen to help but the wait for one doctor and then a second opinion is too long. They are running from one department to another.”

A spokesman for North Middlesex University Hospital said: “We aim always to maintain the 95% four hour target for A&E patients which means that 19 out of 20 patients are seen treated and either admitted or discharged within four hours.

“As the target suggests, in some instances patients may not be treated and admitted or discharged within this time.

“However, we acknowledge that last week some patients had very long waits, typically because they needed to be seen by several doctors before being admitted to hospital.

The spokesman added the hospital has “robust” winter plans to “tackle the additional pressures the season may bring."

He added: "These plans include having more beds in community care settings and a new scheme to enable more patients to complete acute treatment in the comfort of their own home. This scheme will be known as NorthMid@Home and we will be launching it on 1 December."