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Protesters held up traffic on Westminster Bridge today demanding the Government properly funds the NHS .

Around a dozen campaigners staged the stunt the week before 50,000 people are expected to descend on London for the NHS in Crisis march.

The “blood on the hands” stunt saw three campaigners as Prime Minister Theresa May , Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Virgin boss Richard Branson .

They were followed over the bridge to Parliament by an off-duty ambulance and protesters dressed in hospital scrubs chanting: “More staff, more beds, fund our NHS.”

(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror) (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)

(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)

Protester Jacqui Berry, who works as a nurse in London, said: “I’m here today because we’ve lost 15,000 beds over the last six years and there are currently 40,000 nursing vacancies in England.

“We have a Government that would rather throw billions of pounds to private companies who do nothing more than leach money out of the NHS, away from patients and in to the pockets of private shareholders.”

(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror) (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)

The stunt was organised by the People’s Assembly and Health Campaigns Together which is organising the huge NHS protest in the capital on Saturday February 3.

It comes as the NHS battles through its worst winter in living memory with non urgent operations cancelled and record emergency waits in A&E.

(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror) (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)

More than 100,000 ambulances have been left queueing outside packed A&Es for more than half an hour while dozens of deaths have been reportedly linked to delays.

Dr Tony O’Sullivan, co-chair of Keep Our NHS Public and retired consultant paediatrician, said: “We believe that Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt are responsible for the deaths and misery this winter that was totally avoidable.

(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror) (Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)

“It’s disgraceful that they say the NHS was better prepared for winter than ever before.

“The Government has been deliberately undermining the NHS as a public service for eight years with a combined onslaught of underfunding and privatisation.

(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)

“Next week is an opportunity for people to publicly condemn what the Government is doing to the NHS. We’re expecting around 50,000 people to take to the streets.”

The NHS in Crisis protest will congregate in Gower Street, central, London, from midday on February 3 before marching to Downing Street.

Visit http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/nhs_fix_it for more details.