NHS Crisis: Brighton protesters march from Royal Sussex to The Level

The group marched from the Royal Sussex County Hospital to The Level in Brighton in solidarity with NHS nurses and staff who are striking and campaigning for better patient safety.

Organized by Sussex Defend the NHS, around 100 people sang and waved banners at the march to express their frustration at the public health situation.

Valerie Mainstone, who took part in the march, said: “The NHS saved my life. I’ve had cancer three times and I would have died when I had a bleed during childbirth if they hadn’t been treated.

“I was born before we had a proper NHS and my grandparents lost children before it was set up.”

Pat Kehoe, left, and Valerie Mainstone, at the march (Image: The Argus)

Pat Kehoe, 75, added, “I believe in a publicly funded and publicly accountable health service.”

The march took place as part of a national day of action in support of nurses and NHS workers.

In response to the Clap for Carers campaign organized during the Covid-19 pandemic and recent reports of the crisis in NHS hospitals, protesters could be heard chanting “Claps don’t pay the bills” and “No more corridors, we want beds”.

Earlier this month, The Argus reported that paramedics had revealed patients had died while being treated in the corridor of Royal Sussex’s Emergency Department.

John Donovan, who helped organize the march as part of the GMB Union, said: “I have worked in the NHS for around 28 years and have recently retired. This is to remind people that enough is enough.”

Arriving at The Level, the protesters heard from both nurses and politicians who had taken part in the march.

Kemptown MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who joined the march and walked with the protesters, said: “It’s an absolute crisis, we really have a two tier health service.

Protesters at The Level in Brighton (Image: The Argus)

“It’s always great to see people supporting the NHS. We’ve had great reactions to the nurses picketing here in Brighton.”

More nurses and ambulance strikes are planned for early February, including protests in Brighton and Falmer.