The health secretary has singled out the A&E department at Watford General Hospital, which looks after St Albans residents, as an example of poor organisation within the NHS.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning, Jeremy Hunt referred to an incident that occurred during his visit to the Vicarage Road hospital on Thursday, April 11.

On this morning’s programme, Mr Hunt said: "I was in Watford A&E, for example, the week before last, and a lady came in – an older lady in her eighties – who had come from a dementia care home.

"She had bruises all over her face, she was unable to speak and the shocking thing was that in that A&E department they knew nothing about her because we don’t have a joined up system."

During his visit the Conservative politician, who is the MP for South West Surrey, met with doctors and nurses and worked part of a shift in the A&E department.