Queen's funeral: Man 'frustrated' over hospital appointment delay

A man with terminal cancer said he was left "very frustrated" after a hospital appointment on the day of the Queen's funeral was cancelled.

Graham Wood, from Pevensey Bay, was scheduled to receive the results of his latest MRI scan on Monday.

Mr Wood, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2014, was told his results would be delayed by eight days.

The trust responsible for his treatment said it was working hard to clear the backlog caused by the bank holiday.

The introduction of a last-minute bank holiday meant hospitals up and down the country postponed some treatments and appointments which had been booked in for Monday.

Mr Wood said: "You get 'scanxiety', where you do your MRI, and then the anxiety just builds until you get your results.

"So to have it put off just doubles the anxiety. I feel very frustrated."

Mr Wood said he understood that people wanted to watch the Queen's funeral, and that some closures were necessary, but questioned whether that should have included NHS services.

"I don't begrudge businesses doing that at all," he said.

"I watched the funeral all day, but the NHS is different, I feel."

Dr Rob Haigh, chief medical officer for University Hospitals Sussex, said: "Our staff are working hard to see everyone whose appointments had to be rearranged as a result of this week's bank holiday, as quickly as possible.

"We are very sorry people have had their care disrupted. Our teams are focused on seeing this group of patients quickly, while also caring for everyone else who already has a booked appointment."

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