PROTESTERS will march on the Department of Health this evening to call for the Government's controversial NHS reforms to be scrapped.

Campaigners from across London will congregate at 5.30pm this evening, outside University College Hospital, for a rally against the proposed shake-up of the health service.

The protest is expected then to move to Whitehall in a show of force against the changes, and organisers say thousands are planning to attend the march.

Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday reaffirmed his commitment to the ideals behind the reforms, saying sticking with the current state of the NHS “is simply not an option”.

However, he conceded in a speech to staff at Ealing Hospital that the reforms have not been clearly explained to the public.

Professor Wendy Savage, co-chairman of Keep Our NHS Public which is organising tonight's march, accused the Government of “turning the NHS into a commercial market” with its wide-ranging reforms and called for Mr Cameron to withdraw the Health and Social Care Bill which is currently passing through Parliament.

The Government is midway through a “listening exercise”, called as opposition to the bill grew among the public and health care workers.

Opponents have been meeting during the last few months to discuss how to focus their efforts on defeating the bill in Parliament, and this evening's march is one of the major events planned.