Demo to save Grantham A&E, 29.10.16, photo Jean Thorpe

Demo to save Grantham A&E, 29.10.16, photo Jean Thorpe   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

On Saturday, over 1,000 people marched through the centre of Grantham, in the rain, to express their anger and disgust at the continued closure of the A&E department at Grantham hospital.

The message from rally speakers to health minister Jeremy Hunt and those determined to keep the A&E department closed was clear: “We are not going away!” The affection for this hospital was evident as people spoke about the outstanding care they and their loved ones had received.

Next Saturday’s national demonstration in London will show we’ve wised up to the government’s plans for the destruction of our NHS. It must be brought back into public ownership, with all privateers kicked out, so that patients’ needs come before profits for the government’s rich friends.

Karen Seymour

This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 27 February 2017 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.