NHS services in England face chaos on Monday with patient appointments cancelled and staff left in the dark over what is expected of them on the Bank Holiday declared for the Queen’s funeral.

Several NHS trusts have urged patients to contact hospitals to find out whether or not appointments on Monday will take place – while others urged the public not to ring.

Maternity and non-urgent appointments for cancer patients are among those reportedly cancelled.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), with 300,000 members, said the chaos was a repeat of that which surrounded the public holiday for the Queen’s platinum jubilee in February, and called for clarification.

RCN associate director Brian Morton said: “Ministers need to provide clarity on this as soon as possible.

“For the Queen’s Jubilee, they failed to provide leadership, leading to uncertainty for staff and confusion for the public.”

He said that nursing staff would be on duty “to provide core services” as they were on all public holidays, but stressed: “On one of this significance, the public deserve clarity on what services will be available and nursing staff should be paid or have time off in accordance with NHS public holiday terms and conditions.”

Hospital trusts are being left to make their own decisions about appointments, depending on local staffing levels and whether or not local transport will be available for patients and staff.

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.”

Jo, 30, from Norwich, who did not give her surname, said she felt “incredibly frustrated” after an appointment to start a 24-hour blood pressure monitor test she had “waited a few months for” was cancelled.

She said: “I was going to call them to check, but they called me before I got round to it to say sorry but they’re closed and have to cancel. 

“They couldn't say when they would rebook it as that is done by a different person so I now have no idea when it will be.”

The RCN called for intervention by ministers.

Mr Morton said: “We must not see another situation where this is left to NHS Trusts and other NHS organisations locally to navigate.”

However, trusts and hospitals have announced different plans, with some patients complaining that they were being told online that their hospital appointments had been cancelled.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Following the announcement of the plans for the late Her Majesty The Queen’s state funeral on Monday, September 19, 2022, some non-urgent planned care appointments/procedures across Bedfordshire Hospitals will be postponed.

“We will contact all relevant patients if their appointment or procedure is to be rescheduled.”

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust said that “some changes may be made to appointments” due to the bank holiday.

Queen Victoria Hospital in Sussex, which provides reconstructive surgery, burns care and rehabilitation service, said: “Our team is contacting patients with planned appointments or surgery on the day of the Queen’s state funeral to make new arrangements.

“Please do not call us, our staff can best work through this if we call you.”

NHS officials in North East Essex and Suffolk said: “GP practices will be closed on bank holiday Monday September 19 for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.”

Patients dependent on medication were being urged to check that they have enough to carry them through the bank holiday.

Oxford Health NHS said: “Patients across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West are being reminded to order repeat prescriptions in plenty of time for the coming bank holiday weekend.”

The RCN urged the government to follow the example of the Scottish government and confirm Monday 19 as a “public holiday” in accordance with NHS terms and conditions.

A spokesperson for the NHS in England said: “As with any bank holiday, NHS staff will work to ensure that urgent and emergency services, including urgent dental and GP appointments, are available — and patients will be contacted by their local trusts, if necessary, regarding their existing appointments.”