THE majority of hospital appointments set to take place on the day of the Queen’s funeral are to go ahead in York, bosses say.

Earlier this week it was reported that NHS hospitals in England have been urged to contact all patients with appointments on Monday, the day of the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, to tell them whether or not their appointment has been postponed.

Some hospitals have said they will be operating as usual, while others have said that they will postpone some non-urgent appointments.

Hospital trusts are expected to make their own decisions around appointments based on local staffing levels and whether or not local transport will mean patients and staff are unable to attend.

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs York Hospital, has confirmed that the majority of planned appointments are set to go ahead on Monday.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “It is important that we strike the right balance between supporting staff and patients who wish to pay their respects and continuing to deliver services where it is essential we do so.

“As such, where possible, we are planning to undertake the majority of planned work and outpatient appointments already booked, subject to workforce availability.

“We are currently in the process of contacting patients whose appointment will be affected. If patients do not hear from us, they should continue to attend their appointment as planned.

“If a patient wishes to postpone or change their appointment in order to pay their respects, they should contact us on the number listed on their appointment letter.”

Elsewhere in the country, some patients have expressed concern about their appointments being postponed online.

A letter to all NHS organisations, sent from NHS England on Saturday, states: “For patients with planned appointments that may be affected by the day of the funeral, please ensure they are informed in advance of any changes by utilising direct patient communications.

“Where planned appointments are going ahead it will also be important to confirm this is the case.”

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust said that “some changes may be made to appointments” due to the bank holiday, while Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust also said some non-urgent planned care appointments or procedures will be postponed.

The public has been urged to check they have enough medication over the bank holiday - and hospital trusts across the country are reminding patients to order prescriptions in time.

A separate letter, sent by NHS England officials on Monday, told health leaders to ensure there was “sufficient” out-of-hours cover as GPs close on Monday.

It also asked for scheduled Covid booster care home visits to be carried out as planned and “strongly” encouraged clinics due that day to stay open.