The NHS trust responsible for running Darent Valley Hospital recorded the highest number of patients staying on controversial mixed-sex wards last month.

In total 582 incidents were recorded by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust in February and 2,250 nationwide, three times as many as the same period last year and a seven-year high.

Ministers promised to end the so-called 'wards of shame' in 2010, but hospitals now say they cannot stick to the pledge.

A breach is recorded every time a patient is placed on a ward with the opposite sex, not including intensive care, high dependency units or A&E.

At Darent Valley the maximum number of patients staying in ward bays is six, meaning that if, for example, a woman was moved into a bay with five men that would be counted as six breaches.

Trust spokesman Glynn Oakley said: "In February we experienced unprecedented activity throughout the hospital.

"We do our best to ensure that patients are placed in single sex accommodation, but when this is not possible the decision is based upon where there is a specialty bed that will best meet their clinical need. We do our best to maintain each patient's privacy and dignity while they are in our care.

"We have produced an action plan focused on reducing the number of mixed-sex breaches and hold weekly meetings with senior ward staff to review its effectiveness."

In addition to Darent Valley the trust also runs services from Queen Mary Hospital, Sidcup; Erith Hospital; Gravesend Community Hospital; and Elm Court in Dartford.

The second worst performing trust was Royal Berkshire, which recorded 408 breaches.

Labour health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said: "These breaches are a stark indicator of patient care worsening under the Tories. Patients expect dignity and respect when they’re being treated in hospital, but instead they’re being left denigrated on mixed-sex wards."

He added: "We need a full inquiry into the Government’s mishandling of the NHS this winter."

Governments have been promising to eradicate mixed-sex wards for more than 20 years with many patients finding them 'dehumanising' as they often have to facilities with the opposite sex while wearing little more than hospital gowns.

Sarah Scobie, of the Nuffield Trust think-tank, said: "Hospitals have increasingly had to rely on workarounds to ensure they treat growing numbers of sick and very often frail patients in as safe and timely a manner as possible. This has meant that years of progress in driving down the rates of mixed-sex breaches are at risk."

But Ruth May, of NHS Improvement, the hospitals regulator, said despite a 6.5% spike in those using services, two thirds of trusts recorded no breaches.