Campaigners plan city march amid demands to protect NHS

A protest march “to save the NHS” is due to take place in Bath on Saturday.

The demonstration has been organised on Facebook by Bath Campaigns and will begin at noon on February 26, with participants to assemble in Abbey Churchyard.

The event will call for a “stopping” of the Health and Care Bill being considered by the House of Lords, which proposes reorganising the NHS in England.

Among other things, if passed, this legislation would allow more Integrated Care Systems to be set up in England. There are 42 ICSS already, but these are not yet legal entities.

These systems are made up of GP surgeries, community and mental health trusts, hospitals and other primary care services, with local authorities and other care providers working together.

However, according to Bath Campaigns, this Bill will be the “last nail in the coffin for our public health service” and they believe the NHS will soon be replaced by a more American system.

The campaign group has made three demands in a bid to “protect” the NHS. These are:

£20 billion emergency funding to avoid collapse;

A five per cent annual funding boost for the next decade “to return to 2010 service levels”;

A 15 per cent pay rise for all staff which represents a pay rise in real terms after a ten-year pay freeze and cost of living hikes.

There will also be speakers at the march, including Lesley Mansel, the lead representative for Unite at Southmead Hospital, who will give her view on the Bill.

Laura Welti, from the Bristol Disability Forum, will also make a speech, and a member of the Protect Our NHS Bath movement will weigh in on the city’s healthcare provision.

More speakers are expected to be confirmed in the run-up to the event.

On the Facebook page for the march, Bath Campaigns encourage people to bring along “pots and pans”, as well as placards, to make as much noise as possible.