CAMPAIGNERS from Enfield marched through central London yesterday evening on a demonstration against reform of the NHS.

Around 500 people from across the capital walked from University College Hospital to the Department of Health, calling for the Government to ditch its radical overhaul of how health services are delivered.

Frank Dobson, former Labour health secretary under Tony Blair, told the crowd the proposed reforms amounted to privatisation of the NHS and a subsequent deterioration of the services provided.

He said: “People are protesting in every part of the country, and want to work together to make sure we stop them destroying the NHS.

“One of the big things on our side is, for people the NHS is the most popular institution in the country.

“Most of the time for most people, it does its job. That's one of the reasons it is popular.

“But I think there's another reason it is popular. Like me and you, most people like the idea that it looks after not just me and my family and my neighbours, but it looks after everything.

“When the Tories start attacking everybody, they are in trouble, even when the Lib Dems have provided a sort of human shield.”

The protesters, among them long-time supporters of health services in Enfield as well as of services at Chase Farm Hospital, in The Ridgeway, and The Whittington Hospital in Archway, gathered at 5.30pm yesterday evening for a rally.

They then marched through the West End towards the Department of Health headquarters in Whitehall.

The campaigners called for the Health and Social Care Bill to be scrapped by the Government before it passes any further through Parliament.

The bill, in its current state, approves the abolition of primary care trusts like NHS Enfield and hands control of commissioning services to groups of GPs.

The Government is holding a “listening exercise” amid growing concerns over the reforms.

Prime Minister David Cameron this week reaffirmed his commitment to the ideals behind the reforms, but admitted the plans had not been properly communicated to the public.

However, the proposals hit another obstacle this morning as Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is reportedly planning to oppose the idea of a regulator promoting competition in the NHS.