NHS to postpone thousands of GPs’ and hospital appointments

THOUSANDS of people will have hospital and GP appointments cancelled because of the Queen’s funeral.

Some trusts have postponed all nonurgent procedures and clinics on Monday after it was declared a bank holiday.

It includes hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery, maternity checks and even some cancer treatments.

NHS England has told patients to ensure they have enough medication to get them through the three-day weekend after informing GP surgeries they can close all day on Monday.

In a letter to one patient the NHS blamed ‘unforeseen circumstances’. School closures mean many NHS staff are unable to work as they must provide childcare.

NHS England said the decision on whether to postpone operations is a decision ‘for trusts to make locally’. It told hospitals to contact all patients to inform them if their appointments will be going ahead or not.

It comes as a record 6.8 million people – one in eight in England – are on a waiting list, with 377,000 waiting more than a year.

The UK will have a bank holiday to mark the Queen’s funeral but government guidelines say ‘there is no statutory entitlement to time off’, adding that this is ‘a matter for discussion between individuals and their employer’.

NHS England said: ‘NHS staff will work to ensure that urgent and emergency services... are available.’