75 years of the NHS – A Northern March

Keep our NHS Public and Health Campaigns Together have organised a Northern March for the NHS in Leeds on 1st July to celebrate and defend our health service in its 75th anniversary year. The assembly point is Leeds Town Tall at 11.00am.

The march has been called by health campaigners across Yorkshire and the North in response to the worst crisis facing the NHS in its history. We need to celebrate the achievements of the National health service and ensure that it is there for future generations. If the NHS hadn’t been cut from 3% to 1% in funding since 2010, it would be £35 billion better off per year.

The themes of the march will be around the following:

• An end to chronic underfunding of the NHS. Safe staffing levels. Inadequate funding leads to cuts in health care, treatments being withdrawn and longer waiting lists. Cuts and worsening employment conditions will exacerbate the recruitment crisis and fail to ensure staffing levels.
• The NHS needs funding, giving public money to profiteering private health is not a solution.
Investment in the NHS, not private health. Stop the growth of a two-tier health service based upon the ability to pay.
• To offer support to all NHS health and social care workers fighting for better pay and conditions. We recognise their campaign isn’t just about pay but saving the health service we rely on.
• Pay justice for health and care staff.

We want to make the 75th NHS Birthday a celebration and a protest that sends a powerful message to the public and politicians that we will not stand by and watch the NHS being dismantled so please come and join us on 1st July.

On Behalf Of:

Dr John Puntis, Co-Chair Keep our NHS Public
Gilda Peterson, Secretary Keep Our NHS Public Leeds
Mike Forster, Chair Health Campaigns Together
Nick Jones, Treasurer, Keep Our NHS Public Leeds