The Health and Social Care Bill is currently making its way through the Lords. Opposition to the Bill remains strong. Two NHS oncologists held a 160 mile run from the statue of Aneurin Bevan (Minister of Health in the post-war government during which the NHS was founded) in Cardiff to the Department of Health, Richmond House, Whitehall, London to protest the Bill. The local Keep Our NHS Public branch encouraged people to sign postcards opposing the Bill, to be handed in when the runners arrived, and also sent representatives to meet them in London. In other campaigning, Keep Our NHS public have also produced a letter to be sent to GPs to establish their position on the Bill.

On the newswire: Letter to General Practitioners | Notts KONP Press Release | Notts-KONP – NHS Cameron Postcards Stall

Previous features: Protests in Notts Mark 63rd Anniversary of NHS | Notts Uncut: Emergency Operation | Notts Rejects Plans For NHS | Nottingham Mobilises to Save NHS

Over 600 people enthusiastically signed post cards to David Cameron at the Notts Keep Our NHS Public stall in the Market Square on Saturday 7th January. The new Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Keep Our NHS Public branch were pleased with the response – “We had expected to be here until 3:00pm but we’d run out of post cards by 1:15pm, people are clearly ready to sign up to fight for their NHS and have been inspired today by Bevan’s Run,” said Ian Hewitt the branch convener.

Bevan’s Run is the project of two NHS oncologists from North East England – Doctors Clive Peedell and David Wilson – who ran 6 marathons in 6 days to raise public awareness of the dangers of the coalition Government’s Health and Social Care Bill. It is organised by the NHS Consultants Association (NHSCA) and supported by Keep Our NHS Public.

Sprinting off from Aneurin Bevan’s statue in Queen Street, Cardiff at 8.30am on Tuesday 10th January, Bevan’s runners eventually arrived at the Department of Health in Whitehall, London, on Sunday afternoon, 15th January.

NHSCA co-chairman, Dr Clive Peedell and NHSCA member, Dr David Wilson, ran the 160 miles in 6 days (6 marathons), to highlight the opposition of the vast majority of the medical profession to the Health and Social Care Bill, which is due to go to the report stage in the House of Lords this month.