County GP joins march to protest over NHS cuts

Demonstrators attend a rally in central London, in support of the NHS. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday March 4, 2017. See PA story PROTEST NHS. Photo credit should read: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Dr David Wrigley is deputy chairman of the British Medical Association as well as a working GP in Carnforth.

He joined the march in London on Saturday, which he said was a “cry for help”.

He said: “The march is a cry for help for anyone who uses the NHS because it is in such a desperate situation. We need to highlight it.

“As a doctor I see day to day the serious pressures in the NHS due to the funding cuts from the Government.

“Patients are not getting the care they deserve. We are a country that can afford the funding that is required. If the Budget does not bring about any further funding increase, there would be uproar.”

Organisers estimate that 250,000 people were on the march, which moved from NHS England, through London’s West End and into Westminster.

It concluded in Parliament Square with speeches, including one from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

He said: “The NHS is in crisis, in crisis because of the underfunding in social care and the people not getting the care and support they need.

“There are those waiting on trolleys and those who are desperate to get into an A&E department waiting hours for treatment.

“It is not the fault of the staff. It is the fault of a Government who have made a political choice.”

Officials sought to assure the public that the NHS will remain free at the point of use.

A Health Department spokesman said: “We are committed to the NHS which is why we’re investing £10 billion in its own plan for the future, including £4 billion extra this year to transform services and improve standards of care.”