Some patients at Whipps Cross Hospital will see their appointments delayed due to winter pressures.

Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has said that some non-urgent outpatient appointments during January will be postponed “to make sure our clinical staff are free to treat urgent cases and emergencies”.

All cancer operations and time-critical procedures at all of the trust’s hospitals will go ahead as planned.

The National Emergency Pressures Panel met on January 2 to activate the new NHS’s Winter Pressures Protocol which includes deferring non-urgent operations.

A spokeswoman for Barts Health said: “We will make every effort to make sure as many planned procedures and appointments as possible take place during this busy period.

“Patients with any appointments or planned operations should attend our hospitals as normal unless they are contacted by us.”

The trust has also urged people to use its services responsibly, by visiting pharmacies for minor ailments and calling the free NHS 111 service for urgent advice.