There are over one million patients currently waiting to be admitted to NHS hospitals, figures released on Friday show.

Waiting lists have increased by nearly two per cent over the last year, according to government statistics.

The number of patients waiting to be admitted to NHS hospitals in England increased by 19,200 to 1,058,100 in the year to January.

However, it was announced that the length of time patients are waiting has fallen significantly.

The health minister John Hutton said the government was working towards meeting its pledge that no patient should wait more than 15 months for in-patient treatment or six months to be treated as an out-patient.

"The fact that nearly three-quarters of NHS trusts now have no patient waiting longer than 15 months highlights the dedication of all doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff to reducing waiting and improving services for patients," he said.

"Waiting is patients' number one priority, and despite the additional pressures faced during winter months, staff have continued to make progress on reducing in-patient waiting times."

The shadow health secretary, Dr Liam Fox, said the announcement was "a massive blow" to the government.

"Despite all the fiddling of the figures, and the creation of a waiting list to get on the waiting list, Labour's handling of the NHS has been so incompetent that they are now failing to achieve even the targets they set themselves in 1997," he said.

"It is increasingly clear that Labour's chronic mismanagement of the NHS means that they will continue to fail patients as long as they remain in office."