Hundreds of residents from across town demonstrated their love and support for the health service at an ‘I love the NHS’ stall in the town centre on Saturday (November 15).
Organised jointly by the Labour Party and trade unions, the stall was inundated by locals throughout the day. South East Labour MEP Anneliese Dodds, Sarah Owen, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Hastings and Rye, volunteers and local councillors were all in attendance.
Ms Owen said: “This weekend showed that the NHS matters to people from all political persuasions.
“Our stall volunteers included hospital workers such as nurses, ambulance staff and care assistants.
“Residents spoke of their experiences; their worries about long waiting times at the Conquest Hospital A&E and the long waits for appointments at local GP surgeries. They also mentioned the recent
The Labour Party is tabling a Bill in Parliament to stop further privatisation of services in the NHS. Hundreds of people signed a petition in support of the move on Saturday.
Jonathan Lee, a local senior nurse, said: “Staff morale is low. People are rightly concerned about the creeping privatisation of NHS services. Profit should not be a factor in providing good healthcare.
“I want to be able to care for patients in a well-staffed, well-funded health service.
“Letting the private sector take a cut undermines the whole idea of the NHS. I fully back the Labour Bill in Parliament.”
Ms Owen would like to hear more about what people have experienced and their views on the NHS.
To complete her survey people can visit www.sarahowen.org.uk/saveournhs.
More information on the Bill can be found at www.unionstogether.org.uk/nhs.