THE number of people waiting for NHS treatment has hit 7 million people for the first time, with A&E trolley waits also at a record high, official data revealed today.

Figures from NHS England show that the 7m people waiting to start routine hospital treatment at the end of August is up from the previous record of 6.8m in July.

And people enduring long trolley waits — meaning the time spent in A&E before being given a bed in a hospital ward — was more than 163,000 in September.