A SERIES of protests took place yesterday (February 26) up and down the country to fight against the Health and Care Bill.

Members of Unite’s Community section, along with activists in Unite in Health, which represents over 100,000 health service workers, held rallies in high streets and outside hospitals.

In Bridgwater, members of Unite were joined by Labour Party members and others on the Cornhill to talk to locals and encourage voters to tell the Bridgwater and West Somerset MP to oppose further privatisation of the NHS by the Health and Care Bill.

Somerset unite community organiser and Bridgwater town councillor Glen Burrows said: “Our NHS is under threat and time is running out.

"The Health and Care Bill will cut medical and emergency services, force more people to pay for their health care and let more private companies take over services and make decisions on budgets.

"That is why we’re out on the streets today, highlighting the tsunami of attacks our health service is facing and asking local people to tell their MPs they must vote against the Health and Care Bill to save our NHS.”

MP Ian Lidell-Grainger is among the Tory MPs who voted in favour of the Bill last November.

Unite, along with NHS campaign groups including SOS:NHS and Your NHS Needs You, believes the Health and Care Bill, which is being debated again in parliament tomorrow (February 28), will be a disaster for healthcare services, resulting in further privatisation and cuts and reduced patient access to treatments.

Healthcare worker Elaine Di Campo added: “The NHS is the backbone of our country’s health and welfare. We have already seen too many suffer and die unnecessarily due to the on going cuts.

"Show some decency and compassion for the millions of people who won’t be able to use a chargeable service. The poorest and most vulnerable. Shame on you!”

There are already billboards, ad vans and bus stops carrying direct messages to voters, asking them to tell their MP to vote against the bill.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "While our members and their families in England are being told to expect NHS waiting lists to rise for years to come, the government's priority is to pave the way for further disastrous privatisation. Every time private companies run NHS services they put profits before patients who pay the price.

“So MPs must put their constituents before their private sector mates and vote to junk the Bill. Of course, it is unlikely they will, and Unite will have to continue to fight these big corporate money moves step by step inside the NHS.”

The Government has said they are 'grateful' to the 'hard-working NHS staff' for keeping services running and 'seeing thousands of people a day last month'.

“We have set out our plan to tackle the Covid-19 backlog and deliver long term reform, backed by our record investment of £8 billion over the next three years," added a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care.

“This is on top of £2 billion to recover from the pandemic this year and an extra £5.9 billion of capital funding to support recovery, diagnostics and technology over the next three years.”