HEALTH professionals and campaigners from Oxfordshire will take to the streets once again this weekend protesting planned upheavals to the NHS they say equate to ‘cuts and closures’.

Last week the Oxfordshire arm of a so-called sustainability and transformation plan (STP) was revealed for the first time, and includes the closure of some 200 hospital beds and the centralisation of acute stroke and critical care services.

Members of Oxfordshire Keep Our NHS Public, the Banbury-based Save Our Horton group, Momentum Oxford and Oxfordshire UNISON Health Branch will travel to London on Saturday, January 28 to join hundreds in a ‘Howl of protest’ against the plans at 1pm.

It follows a similar demonstration at the end of January on the day STP plans were signed off with NHS England.

Nurse David Bailey said: “The STPs are designed to be the final nail in the coffin of our NHS as we know it: publicly funded, publicly run and free at the point of need.”

Meanwhile people in Banbury are invited to a meeting from 7pm on Thursday at St Mary’s Church in Banbury to give their views on proposals.

Keep the Horton General chairman Keith Strangwood said: “ I implore people to find out the facts before giving their responses.”

Anyone who wishes to attend is asked to book by calling 01865 334638 or emailing cscsu.talkinghealth@nhs.net