Cancer-related hospital appointments and operations are being cancelled on the day of the Queen’s funeral.

It comes after the Government confirmed that Monday, September 19 will be a bank holiday for the state occasion.

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which oversees Watford General Hospital, confirmed on Twitter that all its appointments will be rearranged, including outpatients, planned surgery and diagnostics.

However, emergency and inpatient care will continue. 

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One woman said on a Facebook post that her cancer treatment at has now been rearranged.

Another said: “I was to get my biopsy results for breast cancer on that day.

“I have just found out that my appointment has been moved.

“I am sure that the Queen would not have wanted this to happen to people.”

 

One woman from Watford told us that her shoulder operation, due to take place at The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, has been cancelled and she has yet to be given a new date.

She said: “I have been waiting three years for my shoulder to be reconstructed.

“We lost money for a holiday that we cancelled for the operation.

“I don’t blame the hospital; it is just inconvenient.

“I haven’t been given another date yet, I could be waiting several years.

“It’s a nightmare.”

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's chief operating officer Sally Tucker said it was a difficult decision to cancel the appointments and is sorry for any inconvenience caused.  

She added: “In making the decision we have tried to accommodate the needs of our staff who, like others, will be juggling childcare commitments.

“We also need to consider the practicalities of safely running clinics or surgeries. These require many different teams working together to run safely.”

Ms Tucker said that urgent and cancer appointments will be rearranged within the required timetable and patients will be contacted directly.

A spokesperson for The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital said it postponed clinical services to enable staff to pay their respects to the Queen and patient safety remains a priority.

They added: “This is in line with our approach on other bank holidays when the complex and specialist work of the hospital is not possible due to fewer specialist staff being available.”

Some GP surgeries across the country have also decided to close on the day of the Queen’s funeral.

Watford Health Centre in Upton Road announced on its website that the surgery will be closing too.

However, it would not confirm with the Watford Observer if appointments were being cancelled and rearranged.

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