PATIENTS questioned this week whether the Queen’s funeral was taking precedence over the health of the people after thousands of long-awaited hospital appointments were called off.

The NHS does not normally run clinics on bank holidays to give hard-working staff a well-earned break. But large numbers of patients have already faced unacceptable delays for routine surgery due to a huge backlog that built up during the pandemic.

Gary Henson, whose rescheduled skin cancer appointment will be in nine months, told Extra: “It’s totally unacceptable that a funeral can take precedence over the health of the public. There are a series of health issues that have been totally disregarded. It’s a tremendous shock to have a check-up cancelled. It’s a real worry for me. When skin cancer is identified, speed is of the essence.”

The Extra understands that NHS trusts are booking space and sending staff to private clinics on the Monday for some of the more urgent cases.

One central London hospital worker said: “I was supposed to be off on Monday. But now I’ve been asked to go in between 4pm and 8pm as there are clinics and theatres running. It’s a private hospital but the majority of patients being seen there are from the NHS.”

More than 3,000 scheduled outpatient appointments at St Mary’s and Charing Cross hospitals for Monday will have to be rearranged.

Rachel Dooley, who has arthritis, learned her appointment at King’s College Hospital had been cancelled in a text received on Tuesday.

She said: “I was referred to a cardiologist two years ago, but I had been waiting for an investigation on the NHS for much longer than that.”

A statement from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs St Mary’s and Charing Cross hospitals, said the decision had been taken “to postpone much of the planned care that was due to take place that day”, adding: “This includes telephone and video appointments as well as on-site care.”

It added: “We will continue with all urgent and emergency care services and any planned care appointments that are time critical.

“We expect to go ahead with your appointment or surgery if it is time critical, such as treatment for cancer or maternity check-ups.

“We will also try to maintain as much surgery and other planned care for patients who have been waiting a very long time and who may have had their care postponed previously.”

Of the Queen, chief executive Professor Tim Orchard said: “We are so grateful for the special connection she had to our organisation, both to Charing Cross Hospital, where she was patron, and to The Lindo Wing at St Mary’s, where several of her grandchildren and great grandchildren were born.”