Image: David Mbiyu/Demotix

The public trusts doctors, nurses and health professionals far more than it trusts politicians or journalists. Staff are the backbone of the NHS, and at this time of year in particular, when many of you are working hard to care for patients, we want to thank you – from the bottom of our hearts.

Shamefully, the Christmas period brings no let up from government attempts to distract from its own mismanagement of the NHS and set staff and patients against each other, with its continued spin against ‘greedy’ doctors, ‘callous’ nurses and ‘lazy’ healthcare staff.

None of this is in the public interest – it benefits only the corporate influencers who are setting the NHS up to fail.

On very low running costs, OurNHS regularly breaks the stories the mainstream media miss about the crisis faced by the NHS. Rich in voices from frontline doctors, nurses, ambulance workers and other health professionals, we expose the government’s misuse of statistics and critically examine its NHS policies – many of which are disruptive, evidence-free, ideological nonsense.

In just the past few months we've exposed the betrayal of government promises to protect safe staffing levels and whistleblowers, the attacks on NHS staff pay, conditions, training, and trade unions, and the cuts and privatisation affecting both staff and patients. We’re an invaluable resource to NHS staff, patients and campaigners fighting against these disastrous changes.

But now we need your help. Already, readers contribute one-third of ourNHS running costs: a testament to our value. But our two main 'start-up' funders sadly can longer support us - so we’re asking people like you who know the NHS best to step in and keep our vital work going.

£5 a month would make a vital difference - or pay for just 19.2 seconds of childbirth in a privatised, US-style healthcare system.

Donate here→

£10 a month would secure the future of ourNHS - or buy you just ten paracetamol tablets in a privatised, US-style healthcare system.

Donate here→

£15 a month would help ourNHS to grow - or get you one single diabetes monitoring strip in a privatised health system.

Donate here→

If you prefer to make another one-off donation, that would be a huge help too:

£100 would fund one OurNHS article – or get you one dose of IV-drip in a privatised, US-style healthcare system.

£320 would fund three OurNHS articles – or get you one single stitch in a privatised health system.

Donate here→

If we don’t act now, the profitable parts of our health service will be sold off piece by piece, and we’ll end up with a low-grade, US Medicare style service – while the wealthy buy themselves out of the system.

What they say:

“OurNHS is a hugely valuable resource for all of us who care about the NHS, and want to understand what's being done to it, and how we can fight back to protect it."

Dr Louise Irvine, GP and Chair of the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign

Join us as an OurNHS supporter today, and we’ll continue our fight to save the NHS.