Save the NHS campaign groups in Dewsbury and Halifax joined other campaigners across England to hold Stop the STPs protests.

Under the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP), Kirklees NHS will need to close a £208m shortfall in a plan to save the region £1bn by 2021.

Chrissie Parker, one of the organisers, said, “We’re saying act local, think national.

“The local NHS cuts to our hospitals are part of something much bigger.

“We want to let people know that the so-called Sustainability and Transformation Plans are the biggest attack on the NHS that the public – and most NHS staff – have never heard of and to let people know what they can do to stop them.”

NHS organisations have until December 23 to sign off their STPs.