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Bosses of the worst A&E units in the country have been hauled in by NHS chiefs and told to ­improve their waiting times.

The 30 hospitals are among many struggling to meet targets requiring 95 per cent of patients to be treated within four hours.

NHS Improvement head Jim Mackey – responsible for raising health service standards – called chief executives from the poorest performers to a crisis meeting.

He told bosses they need to achieve targets of 85 per cent by the second quarter of 2016, and 95 per cent by the end of 2017.

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One executive said: “We were left in no doubt whatsoever that there needs to be a sustained ­improvement by June.”

And Mr Mackey warned special measures might be put in place if the trusts failed to improve. Among those present were managers of North Middlesex Hospital in Edmonton, North London.

Last month it emerged that staff at its overstretched A&E told patients to go home and come back the next day unless their condition was life-threatening.

Just 19 of 136 acute trusts met the 95 per cent target in February, the worst figures since 2004.

An NHS Improvement spokesman said: “We have to raise the level of those at the bottom.”

NHS Trusts called to crisis meeting

(Image: PA)