A&E waiting times in England have reached the worst level on record as hospital bosses warn the NHS is at a “watershed” moment.

Just 85.1% of A&E patients were seen within four hours in December 2017, falling significantly short of the NHS target of 95%, and means 300,000 patients waited too long for care.

In December 2016, 86.2% of A&E patients were seen in time, meaning the NHS success rate has fallen by 1.1% in just 12 months.

Levels have only dipped so low once before since monthly reporting on the four-hour target was introduced in 2010, with rates also reaching 85.1% in January 2017.

This week, A&E staff told HuffPost UK that pressure on the frontline is so intense doctors and nurses are suffering from anxiety and depression as a result.

Meanwhile, others are warning young people against joining the profession all together.

“This year, with the current degree of winter pressure that we are feeling, this is the worst condition that I have ever seen the NHS in,” Dr Adrian Harrop, an A&E doctor at Scarborough Hospital, said.

“A&E is not a destination in itself, it is like a sorting office.”

Reacting to the figures, the Royal College of Surgeons called December’s A&E performance “disappointing”.

The body warned that just 77.3% of emergency patients at major hospitals were seen within the time frame in December.

“Despite the best efforts and dedication of NHS staff to treat patients quickly, waiting times for non-urgent care have also deteriorated again in the past year,” a spokesperson said.

“The fact remains that we do not have adequate funding or capacity in our health or social care services.”

Official figures revealed that more than 5,000 people were also forced to wait more than an hour to be seen in emergency departments in England in the first week of the year.

Cancer care targets have also taken a hit – just 82.5% of patients received their first treatment within 62 days of referral.

According to NHS outlines, 85% of patients should be treated within this time.

The figures come after struggling hospitals were told on New Years Day to cancel all routine surgery until the end of January amid fears of a meltdown, with as many as 55,000 operations affected by the move.

Today, NHS Providers warned Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt that the health service will fail to deliver “the care we need as a nation” without more money.