MORE than 40 organisations including trade unions, campaign groups and civil society bodies have united to launch a campaign to save the NHS.

SOS NHS, which organisers described as the largest coalition yet formed to defend public health services, is demanding an emergency £20 billion NHS funding boost.

Backers including the National Education Union, the National Union of Journalists, Doctors Association UK, Keep Our NHS Public (KOHP) and Health Campaigns Together said that the cash is needed to tackle chronic staffing shortages and soaring backlog costs during the Covid-19 pandemic.