GWENT'S health board has announced major changes to medical services on the day of Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral.

Her Majesty died at Balmoral last Thursday and the UK is currently observing a period of national mourning - the monarch's state funeral will be held in London on Monday, September 19.

The day has been declared a bank holiday and many services, such as schools, will close to allow people to pay their respects.

In Gwent, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said it will be postponing "all planned appointments and clinics" on the day of The Queen's funeral.

"However, some patients may be contacted due to the urgency of their appointment to proceed if agreed with patients and the teams," a spokesperson for the health board added.

All patients affected by the announcement will be contacted, and alternative arrangements made for their care.

Additionally, GP surgeries and most community pharmacies will be closed on the day of the funeral.

"We will be encouraging residents to order repeat prescriptions this week," the health board spokesperson said.

Urgent and emergency care services will continue in Gwent on the bank holiday.

Waiting lists

The planned postponement of so many appointments will add to pressures on NHS waiting lists.

At the time of the most recent update, covering June and July, the Welsh Government said there were around 576,000 individual patients waiting for treatment nationwide.

This is largely down to many non-essential, non-urgent services being paused for long periods during the height of the pandemic, so that hospitals could move adequate resources over to dealing with coronavirus.

Other figures for June and July show:

• The number of people waiting less than four hours in A&E was 65.7 per cent in Wales. In Gwent, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board's figure was 73.1 per cent - better than any comparable health boards. The government target is 95 per cent.

• Some 54 per cent of cancer patients started treatment within the 62 days of their suspected diagnosis. Gwent's health board reported a rate of 49.4 per cent - the lowest in Wales. The government target is at least 75 per cent.

• More than 39,000 calls were made to the Welsh Ambulance Service in July, of which 10.5 per cent were the most immediately life-threatening 'red' incidents. Some 52 per cent of red calls were responded to within eight minutes. The government target is 65 per cent.