The number of patients waiting more than a year for operations has almost doubled amid record waiting times, published today after the NHS was accused of burying bad news.

The statistics show that 3.78 million patients are now waiting for NHS treatment - a rise of more than 50 per cent since 2012.

They include 1,573 patients waiting more than 52 weeks for planned operations, compared with 886 just a year ago - a rise of 78 per cent.

The total number of patients in England waiting longer than 18 weeks for routine surgery is the largest since September 2008, with more than 382,000 patients this long.

Figures on NHS performance are normally published on the first Thursday of each month.

But after the election campaign began, health officials said that the set of data due out on polling day would be delayed. Instead it was published on Friday morning, when all eyes were on the election results.

NHS England said it took the decision on the advice of the national statistician.

Health watchdogs had already said they were “disappointed” after being told they could not publish factual financial information, showing the scale of NHS deficits, during the election campaign.

Labour said such actions amounted to a “cover up” to deny the public the true picture of the NHS.