King’s College Hospital [KiloCharlieLima]

A DISABLED woman who has been waiting for a cardiologist appointment for two years has had her appointment on Monday cancelled due to the Queen’s funeral bank holiday – with no option to immediately reschedule.

Hospitals across London have announced cancellations to non-urgent appointments as the country comes to a standstill for a final farewell to Her Majesty Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday aged 96. Emergency and time-critical services will continue as normal on what has been declared a public holiday.

Hundreds of patients who have been waiting for long periods due to the backlog built up during the Covid pandemic have been sent texts about the changes this week.

Rachel Dooley, 36, from Kentish Town, said she has spent the past two years “in limbo” waiting to get treatment for a heart condition so she can “start living her life again”.

She has arthritis and a genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which means that her joints dislocate; she sometimes uses a wheelchair. Those with EDS often suffer from heart rhythm and blood pressure problems.

Ms Dooley started having problems with her heart six years ago and suffers from daily dizziness, fatigue and, if she stands on her feet for too long, she has fainting fits – symptoms she finds “disabling” to her everyday life.

“I was referred to a cardiologist at King’s College Hospital two years ago, but I’d been waiting for an investigation on the NHS for much longer than that,” she said.

She said she’s already dealt with a “million cancellations” and on Tuesday received a text message that said her appointment has been cancelled “in light of the sad news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Monday being announced as a Bank Holiday.”

It said a further appointment will be sent in “due course”.

Ms Dooley said: “I want to say I was frustrated when I saw the text. But it doesn’t surprise me at all. Nothing surprises me with how the government has such disdain for disabled people. There’s a massive divide between people who have private healthcare and people who don’t.”

Rachel Dooley and her daughter Abyan

On whether medical appointments should be cancelled on the day the Queen is laid to rest, she said: “It’s absolutely outrageous. These people are not elected. I didn’t choose for her to be my Queen. My grandad just died. No one gave a crap about that.”

She added: “It’s not a two-way street. People have Stockholm syndrome.There’s so much poverty going on right now and the media aren’t focusing on it. It’s embarrassing for us as a country.”

A spokesperson from King’s College Hospital said: “Most non-urgent appointments and operations planned for Monday are being re-scheduled. We will offer patients a new date as soon as possible, and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“If any patients have concerns, we would urge them to call the telephone number on their appointment letter.”

The Whittington and Royal Free hospitals have also cancelled non-emergency appointments. The Royal Free said this week: “We understand that this may be a difficult time for many people and we are working hard to ensure we can continue to provide the best possible care.

“We would like to thank all our patients for their understanding at this time. We would once again like to share our deep condolences with the Royal Family for their loss.”