Spread some winter warmth for doctors in need
A personal appeal from our President, Professor Dame Jane Dacre
Picture the scene.
It’s two months since you underwent major surgery on your back, and you’re at home, still recovering. Though it’s hardly been easy, with a young child tearing around the house.
With two years’ NHS service under your belt, you’ve been getting sick pay, but that’s about to reduce to half. The festive season is approaching, which means extra spending – plus bigger energy bills. You’re due to re-mortgage, and you’re really starting to panic about your finances. It’s keeping you awake at night, worrying how you’ll cope.
That’s when you discover the boiler has packed up.
It’s the kind of story we at the RMBF hear time and time again. Illness or injury disrupts a doctor’s ability to work, and their household budget is stretched to breaking point. There’s no room for further unexpected costs – but inevitably, something will always crop up.
You’ve worked so hard, for so many years, to train as a doctor. Then you find that all of a sudden, you can’t pay the energy bills, or afford new school clothes for the children – through no fault of your own.
It can feel brutally unfair. Embarrassing, even.
Many of our beneficiaries feel ashamed to reach out for support, and I can understand that feeling. I accepted the steep demands of a career in medicine – long hours, constant difficult decisions, emotional impact – because first and foremost, I wanted to care for patients. I have always been the helper, not the helped. The idea of asking for support – especially financial support – would be deeply uncomfortable.
Yet that is the reality for many of our colleagues this winter.
They are just as resilient, resourceful, and committed as any other doctor. But behind closed doors, they are struggling – and they really need us.
We can be there to answer the call, together. Thanks to the generous community of RMBF supporters, struggling doctors can access financial relief, helping them to afford life’s essentials in times of hardship.
Our compassionate, confidential support addresses the most pressing needs.
A doctor might just need a few months’ help with the mortgage and bills while they recover from an injury. But their situation could be even more complicated. They might have complex health needs, making the future hard to predict. They could have lost a partner, leaving them to raise a family on their own.
Working in the NHS has always been challenging, but right now things are especially acute. And that makes it harder to cope with additional burdens like these.
Whatever challenges a doctor is facing, your donations will go directly towards a tailored package of support that recognises their needs, restoring their dignity and wellbeing.
Imagine how you would feel if you couldn’t cover the cost of an after-school club for your child, or a new bed when they’ve outgrown the old one. If you couldn’t afford to replace a broken boiler, or repair a leaking roof. It’s awful to think about.
If things had gone differently, that could easily have been you or me.
When Jennifer, a GP, received financial support at Christmas, she told us:
It made me so emotional. I was so grateful for it, being able to participate in Christmas with my immediate family, buy presents for them. It was huge to have that little extra.
She is just one of dozens of doctors, medical students, and their family members who will need our help in the coming months.
That’s why I’m asking you to donate to the RMBF today, and spread some warmth and joy to those in need this winter.
Your donation could make a real difference. It could help a fellow doctor heat their home, repair a broken appliance, or give their child a moment of joy on a school trip. It’s not just financial support – it’s a lifeline. A gesture that says: “You are not alone. We’ve got your back.”
£50 could help cover the cost of a child’s school trip.
£100 could contribute to essential household repairs.
£250 could help a doctor keep their home warm and safe.
For people of all faiths and none, the Christmas season should be a time of peace – a moment of respite from the struggles of life, a time to be together with our loved ones.
You can grant that peace and happiness to a colleague in need.
Please, donate today.
Professor Dame Jane Dacre
President, RMBF
