Barnsley Hospital faces monthly monitoring of its accident and emergency department after it failed to meet its waiting time targets.

The national target for all hospitals is that 95 per cent of patients are dealt with within four hours and starts when the patient arrives, and stops when they are admitted into hospital or discharged.

There has been improvement over the last quarter, with percentages rising from 87.53 in April, to 96 per cent in May and 96.11 per cent in June.

But interim chief executive David Peverelle said the hospital would now be monitored by regulatory body monitor every month.

"Our governance rating is red, which means they will monitor our performance on a monthly basis. If we meet the targets in the next two quarters, they will remove the red rating.

"If we fail to achieve it, it could lead to some further intervention, Monitor may come and look at our systems and see what improvements need to be made."

In April, 6,843 people attended the department, compared with 6,340 in May and 6,759 in June.

To help the hospital achieve the target, all systems have been reviewed, including admissions, emergency department, ward rounds and discharges.

There has also been investment, with more therapists, doctors and another consultant being set on.

A ten-bed observational unit is being created where patients who don't need to be admitted can stay for up to 12 hours and a small area is being refurbished to create a discharge lounge.

The admission of patients suffering from things such as heart conditions and respiratory problems is also being looked at to help free up bedspace.