A 'spike' in patients waiting over four hours at A&E

The NHS in England missed its A&E waiting time target in the first three months of the year, researchers say.

A total of 313,000 patients waited more than four hours, up 39% on the similar period in 2012, the King's Fund said after analysing official statistics.

That represented 5.9% of patients when the NHS is allowed a leeway of 5%.

King's Fund chief economist John Appleby told the BBC there was no single explanation for the "spike" in waits.