CAMPIGNERS determined to save Teignmouth Hospital joined in a county-wide day of protest on Saturday.

The Hands Off Teignmouth Hospital (HOTH) pressure group took part in conjunction with the Devon-wide campaign group Save Our Hospital Services.

The campaigning group ‘We Own It’, hosted the national Day of Action.

On Saturday campaigners in Totnes joined with the groups in Teignmouth, Tavistock and Barnstaple, and around the country, to raise public awareness of the Government’s Health and Care Bill (2021), currently going through parliament.

A spokesman for the Save Our Hospital Services (Devon) said the Health and Care Bill 2021 would separate the NHS into 42 ‘integrated care systems’ or ICSs, including one covering the county of Devon.

Each ICS will commission health and care services for the local population from its own budget. They said

‘This will inevitably lead to rationing of care and to different services being provided in different parts of the country.

‘Devon NHS already receives a low share per head of population, even before accounting for the summer visitors that place additional strain on local health services.

‘Going into the pandemic, NHS Devon was required to make budget ‘savings’ of £100m every year.

‘It is not clear that this requirement has been lifted, as the county’s NHS services continue to deal with Covid cases and vaccinations, and the backlog of missed treatments.’

HOTH spokesman Geralyn Arthurs said: ‘We want to highlight the fact that the Health and Care Bill, presented to Parliament will privatise the NHS for future generations.

‘This has not been reported in the national daily newspapers which is extremely worrying. Here in Devon, campaigning groups in Teignmouth, Totnes, Tavistock and Barnstaple have staged protests in order to bring these important issues to public attention.’

Hands Off Teignmouth Hospital, held a socially distanced rally at the hospital to increase public awareness that the fight to prevent the closure of Teignmouth Community Hospital is now awaiting the decision of the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid.’

The march began with the participants chanting, ‘Scrap the Bill. Save the NHS’, with motorists hooting their horns in support of the group who paraded with the ‘Save Teignmouth Hospital’ banner.

Geralyn said: ‘The campaigners were supported by numerous bystanders who loudly applauded the marchers.

‘They happily received leaflets, produced by Save Our Hospital Services, which highlighted the various issues within the Bill’s proposals.’

The march proceeded from the centre of the town, along the seafront, from St Michael’s Church to the lighthouse.

The activists then doubled back along the upper-carriageway where many more locals and visitors to the town showed their support by clapping and filming the protest march.

Geralyn added: ‘We hope that all our protests will end the privatisation of the NHS and ensure that we have exemplary healthcare for all of the public.’