Health campaigners took to the streets of Hull City Centre today to highlight cuts local consultants say will see patient care "critically eroded" across the region.
Grass roots campaigners Save our NHS Hull and East Yorkshire group organised a 500 strong mass march in September but organisers say the action today was about keeping public awareness high.
Secretary Dermot Rathbone, of Kirk Ella, said: "The message is that these cuts are being criticised as critically eroding patient care and we are responding to the fears of the local doctors who have been very vocal about the fact they are unhappy with the way this has been handled."
The group were handing out leaflets and asking shoppers to sign a petition, which already has 5,000 names on it, calling for a rebate to protect vital front line services. The petition, which says, ten wards and 300 acute beds face the axe because of the cuts, will be sent to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Co-chair Lyn Longbottom, a retired nurse, said: "All you hear about is bad nursing and poor care but they are pushed to their limits. There is a lot going on in the hospital but they are not being given time to do their jobs properly.
I don't think people are aware that these cuts are going on right now and so we decided to come out when we knew the town centre would be busy to spread the word and to listen to people's concerns."
Co-chair Patrick Smith added: "The people of this area face over £1/4 billion in cuts from this Government when you take into account the money being clawed back across the board. David Cameron told us in 2010 that there would be no NHS cuts and that front line services would be protected. The public are angry and simply want to hold him account on these broken promises."
