Operations and appointments could be cancelled on Monday at the Isle of Wight’s only hospital as Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral takes place.
The day of mourning has been made a Bank Holiday — with numerous shops shutting — to allow the public to observe the ceremony, although it is up to employers to decide whether staff will be given the day off.
openDemocracy reports some NHS trusts have announced all non-urgent procedures and clinical appointments would be postponed, including hip and knee replacements, cataract surgeries, maternity checks and some cancer treatments.
NHS England told openDemocracy the decision to postpone appointments was to be made by NHS trusts locally.
The Isle of Wight NHS Trust, based at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport, has said it is still trying to work through its plans for Monday. A spokesperson said if any patients are affected, they will be contacted directly.
It has also been announced by NHS England that GP surgeries can close on the day of the funeral but suitable out-of-hours treatment must be accessible.
The Island’s health service is still in the process of recovering from the surgical backlog caused by the COVID pandemic. It is also dealing with congestion in the hospital, which sees on average 2 wards full of patients who could be discharged but have no care in place should they leave.
With beds full of patients, there are difficulties and long waits to admit patients through the emergency department or for their much-needed surgical procedures. The lack of beds at the hospital has, previously, caused the elective surgery programme at St Mary’s to stop, which delays more procedures.
If true, absolutely disguting. Imagine waiting for months/years due to covid etc for life changing surgery and then this? There is no comparison between a few shops shutting, although waitrose will keep some shops open on the funeral cortège route, don’t want to miss out on the passing trade, and the deadly serious business of the public/taxpayers health.
Never run out of excuses.
Any bloody excuse.
Just work when you feel like it eh chaps?
Have you ever worked for NHS frontline? I did for over 40 years. It’s a hard slog, often with violence & aggression. I don’t agree with the proposed cancellations for the funeral but come on please.. we don’t work when we want to . Forget about higher management but frontline staff often work 12 hour shifts and finish late. Frenquently no time to go to the toilet or get a drink let alone a proper break. Working through your unpaid break is an everyday occurrence
What a ridiculous comment. Have you been in hospital in the last few years & seen how hard the hands on staff work. Old school? Old bitter & twisted.
since when did having a funeral take place become an excuse for the NHS to perlong the suffering of its patients
I’m sure the Queen would have been well behind this decision. Not
She’ll be turning in her coffin!! It’s astounding how they can get away with it!
It is all for the so called royals, now ‘ol wingnut doesn’t have to pay any inheritance tax on what he will get off his ‘ol mum. You or me would have to pay it, so why not him. If you need a serious operation or treatment, you can wait, it’s what charles wants.
I’m sure Her Majesty would be horrified to hear that people’s much needed and probably very long awaited for operations will be cancelled in her name. Don’t forget not all of St Mary’s staff are Royalist!
No, but they’ll take a day off in a flash. Joint replacements people have been waiting for months and years, cancer treatment – all can wait apparently. Absolutely disgusting.
I think the late queen would be mortified by these ridiculous decisions and King Charlie ( apt!) should step in and poo poo it!! I hear funerals and some cancer clinics to name a few are to be cancelled as well which is truly awful and doesn’t bode well for future relationships between the public and the new royals I’m sure.
Yes we can remember and pay due respect, if it’s something one would like to do, however to make all comply and go through all this distress and upheaval is astonishing.
All the grief people suffer already for their own loved ones and plans to reorganise is just terrible and shouldn’t be happening.
this is all getting redik now .shut the uk down for it!crazy.many arent royalists and want too crack on and nothing wrong in that.shes not my mum or my relative nor would she ever want this action.nuts
NHS ‘frontline’ Patricia? An interesting term which implies encounter and battle lines and that the NHS sees itself as being at war with the patients rather than on their side. The truly shocking thing – if the reporter has got it right- is that operations may be cancelled, not postphoned. Surely this cannot be true? You have been waiting weeks, months or years for an operation and it may be cancelled and you will have to start again and join the queue so that staff may or may not wish to spend the day grieving for the loss of our Queen? If this is so and as other correspondents have said, she would be tuning in her coffin at the thought.
The backlog from the covid vaccine damage is off the scale, god help you all!