Campaigners will be holding a protest over the potential merger between Burton's Queen's hospital and Royal Derby Hospital in the town tomorrow, Saturday, August 5.

Members of East Staffordshire Trade Union Council, Unite Community and Burton’s keep our NHS Public branch make up those protesting over the move.

The group will hold the rally at the Washlands, in Burton following a 'bed push' from Belvoir Road, next to Queen’s Hospital to the Washlands.

Protesters will be gathering on Belvoir Road at 11am near to Queen’s Hospital and will follow a hospital bed which will be pushed from the hospital to Meadowside Drive, in the town centre.

The route for the march will go along Belvedere Road onto Dallow Street, then to Waterloo Street, Barkley Street, Derby Street and along Station Street.

A rally will then be held on the Washlands between Burton Library and Meadowside Leisure Centre, with a series of speakers confirmed. They include Steve Thompson, from Unite the union’s national executive committee, Chris Williamson MP for Derby North who was elected in the 2017 General Election, and Staffordshire health campaigner Gail Gregory.

Gracie Petrie, a Leicester-based folk-singer and activist who performed at Glastonbury and events to support Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will be performing to close the rally.

Other speakers will include Sarah Carpenter, the national health officer for Unite, Lee Baron, the regional secretary of the Midlands TUC and others from East Staffordshire Trade Union Council and Unison.

Chairman of East Staffordshire Trade Union Council, Paul Walker is one of the organisers of the rally and says people he has spoken to in Burton are "horrified" over the proposals.

He said: "People are shocked at this takeover and were supportive of our planned action. From the people that I spoke to last Saturday, there was a relief that people are willing to stand up and fight this."

Helen Scott-South, the chief executive at Queen’s Hospital said that services would be lost in Burton, said: "When we look at what we’re told is going to be said at the rally, it’s all about that we are not going to have services provided here in Burton, which is the total opposite to what we’re doing.

"I think the important message is that people are concerned in Burton about A&E and we’ll be keeping that and working with Derby we’ll be keeping services and will in fact be able to offer more services here."

The rally will begin on Belvoir Road near to Queen’s Hospital at 11am on Saturday, August 5.