The Health Secretary has admitted the NHS is under a "huge amount of pressure" as figures show waiting times at A&E in England have hit their worst level in ten years.
New data shows just 92.6% of patients were treated within the four-hour time limit against a target of 95% and a growing number of NHS hospitals are declaring "major incidents" as they struggle to cope with the rising number of admissions.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt admitted the figures were "disappointing" but said the NHS was continuing to see nine out of 10 people within four hours and that better social care is at the heart of the solution.
"We do very well by international comparisons," he said.
The Prime Minister claimed a lot of the pressure on emergency departments comes from frail, elderly people but insisted that around 2,500 more patients were being seen within four hours every day than four years ago.
And David Cameron accused the health workers' union Unison of "scaremongering," after it claimed the NHS was "on the brink of disaster".
The figures come as a surge in demand at emergency departments has forced several hospital trusts to activate major incident plans, leading to routine operations being put on hold and extra staff being drafted in.
The hospitals and trusts include Addenbrooke's in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of North Midlands in Staffordshire and Walsall Manor Hospital, Gloucester Royal, Cheltenham General Hospital and Scarborough Hospital.
Others, including the Royal Surrey County Hospital, urged people to stay away from A&E unless their case was a genuine emergency.
The British Medical Association (BMA) warned there was "unprecedented levels of pressure" on the health service and the Royal College of Nursing said the system was in "crisis," blaming chronic underfunding and staffing shortages.
Charities said the surge in demand for A&E services was being fuelled by cuts to social care.
Responding to the figures, Mr Cameron said: "We've got a short-term pressure issue which we need to meet with resources and management.
"We've got a longer-term issue which is making sure that there are named GPs in your local area which are responsible for every single frail, elderly person.
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Gallery: When Should You Go To A&E?
Unresponsive - Loss of consciousness
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