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For hospitals, insurers and medical associations

An explanation of why AskHer is structured the way it is, written for the people evaluating whether to work with it rather than the people reading it for themselves.

The structural difference

A clinical answer on AskHer has exactly one named author, and it cannot publish until a second checked clinician — not the author, in a specialty that covers the topic — has reviewed it and signed their own name to that review. Nothing on AskHer ranks clinical answers by votes, likes or engagement, and nothing about how many people read an answer changes where it appears or how it is presented. A popular wrong answer and a quiet correct one are not competing for attention here, because neither is competing at all.

This is a narrower claim than "trustworthy", and we would rather state the narrow one precisely than the broad one loosely: it describes how an answer gets published and corrected, not a guarantee about any individual answer's accuracy.

What a verification check means here

We say "Registration checked by AskHer". We do not say "NMC-verified", because the NMC does not verify anyone on our behalf, and we are not an accrediting body.

Registration checked by AskHer

What is checked
Identity documents, a current registration number against the relevant state or national register, the primary qualification, and the specialty claimed.
What this does not mean
This is not an NMC endorsement, an accreditation, or a statement that every published claim by that clinician is accurate. AskHer never describes a contributor as "NMC-verified".

Organisation details checked

What is checked
The applicant’s authority to represent the organisation, the registered address, and the official contact channels.
What this does not mean
This is not an inspection, an accreditation, or an assessment of the quality of care given at that location.

Clinically reviewed

What is checked
A second qualified clinician, who is not the author, has read the explanation against current guidance and recorded conflicts of interest.
What this does not mean
Review means the explanation is defensible general education. It is not advice about your own situation and cannot replace a consultation.

Who decides what

Authority is split on purpose, and we list it with its current status rather than implying it is all settled.

Shely operating team
Product, engineering, staffing and budget.
Clinical lead and editorial council (planned)
Clinical standards, publication disputes, safety corrections, with authority to reject sponsored content and require corrections. Begins when a clinical lead is appointed.
Community advisory panel
Participation experience, accessibility, language priorities. Compensated, recruited privately.
Appeals
Decided by a senior editor who was not involved in the original decision, with a written reason. An independent reviewer from outside the operating team is planned, not yet appointed.

AskHer is published as AskHer by Shely, and Shely owns and operates it. Independent clinical editorial oversight is planned and begins when a clinical lead is appointed — we do not claim it before then. The full governance detail is on the main trust page.

How funding works

AskHer is owned and operated by Shely, and is published as "AskHer by Shely". Independent clinical editorial oversight is planned: it begins when a clinical lead with written authority to refuse content is appointed, and until then we do not claim it. AskHer is not a separate legal entity, and we do not describe it as one.

  • Shely operating budget Active — The only source of funding today. Engineering, hosting, moderation and editorial work.
  • Paid courses and workshops Planned, not active — Nothing is on sale. If they launch, they stay optional, and no part of a free explanation is ever moved behind a purchase.
  • Institution-funded education grants Planned, not active — None held. Any future grant would be unrestricted, and the funder named on every page it supported.
  • Optional tools for organisations Planned, not active — Nothing is on sale. Administrative software only; buying it would change nothing about ranking or review.

What paying AskHer for anything cannot buy:

  • Buy a verification badge or influence what a check covers
  • Change, soften or delay a medical explanation or a correction
  • Affect the order of results in Find care
  • Access private questions, saved items or health-interest history
  • Prevent publication of a criticism of the funder

Ways to work with AskHer

Reading and contributing never require a commercial relationship — every option below is optional, and none of them changes how any clinical content is reviewed or ranked.

  • A clinic or hospital listing

    A branch-level profile with confirmed hours, services, languages and accessibility information, each fact dated and attributed to who confirmed it.

    Claim your organisation

  • A professional association or society

    If your organisation wants to discuss a clinical or educational partnership, the first step is the same application a clinic or NGO uses — reviewed by Operations like any other. Nothing is assumed or implied before that review happens, and no association is currently listed as a partner.

    Start an application

  • Clinician contribution

    Doctors on your staff can contribute independently — a non-exclusive relationship, with their own work exportable and no requirement to refer patients anywhere.

    How contributing works