Patients were left waiting four hours or more at A&E departments across Kirklees and Calderdale as hospital trusts missed their targets.
Just 89.4% of patients at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax, were seen within the NHS target of four hours in February, according to figures from NHS England.
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT), which runs the two hospitals, performed better than average for England (87.8%).
But the trust fell short of its goal of diagnosing, treating and releasing or admitting 95% of its A&E patients within four hours.
And Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust (MYHT), which runs Dewsbury District Hospital and Wakefield Pinderfields Hospital, performed even worse with a below-average four-fifths (80.3%) of patients receiving treatment with four hours.
Across England, the NHS recorded its worst ever figures for A&E waiting times for a second consecutive month.
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NHS England has blamed the poor performance on increased demand and a rise in flu infections adding pressure to hospitals.
CHFT emergency care chief Mark Davies urged patients to only visit the trusts’ A&E departments in genuine emergencies.
Mr Davies, an A&E consultant, said: “These figures show there were huge pressures experienced in emergency departments across the country and our teams still managed to treat the majority of our patients within four hours. I would like to thank our staff for their ongoing efforts and our patients for their understanding.
“This is a whole system issue. For us to admit patients we need beds inside the hospital and continue to work closely with our partners in health and social care to make this happen.
“We would like to remind the public there are a number of alternatives to the emergency department where they can seek urgent health care needs.
“By only using the emergency department when absolutely necessary the public can help us to ensure that those who need our attention can do so in a timely manner.”
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Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust Acting Chief Nurse David Melia said people were attending the trust’s three emergency departments for non-emergencies.
Mr Melia said: “Already this week we have had people present with coughs, colds, requests for prescriptions and infected toe nails.
“Walk-in centres, GP surgeries and pharmacies are the most appropriate place for conditions that are urgent but not emergencies.”
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Mr Melia added that the situation at hospitals in Dewsbury and Wakefield reflected the national picture.
“Emergency departments are suffering from continued severe pressure nationally,” he said. “This is also true for the three emergency departments within Mid Yorkshire.
“We know that some of our patients are having to wait longer than we would like and we are doing everything possible to make sure that they are treated promptly and safely.
“Our staff have shown immense professionalism and dedication over the last few months in the face of sustained high levels of demand. We are doing everything we can with our partners to improve performance.”
