Newcastle Hospitals Charity has received a donation of £91,000 to fund testing equipment to help staff, patients and the local community during the pandemic and beyond.
The donations have come from Mail Force, a Charity which was launched with the aim to help support NHS staff and Care workers through the Covid-19 Pandemic in the UK.
Mail Force is a separate charity established and supported by the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) and Salesforce, and the money raised has funded essential equipment required to protect the NHS and Care workers.
A spokesperson for Mailforce Charity said: “Mail Force is delighted to be able to provide state-of-the-art testing equipment and technology to Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, knowing that patients and staff will benefit greatly as a result.”
DMGT’s Chairman, Lord Rothermere, kick-started a campaign which enabled Mail Force Charity to airlift 20 tonnes of PPE from China as its first contribution. The charity worked directly with the central NHS distribution team in Daventry to deliver the PPE to the hospitals and care homes where it was most needed.
Contributions from philanthropists, foundations and Daily Mail readers reached over £11 million. Over 55,000 readers contributed an incredible £2.5 million, many of whom sent moving letters about why they donated. Employees also contributed generously, donating £27,000 which was matched by DMGT.
The charity was able to provide approximately 40 million items of PPE to the NHS, partner charities Mencap, Sue Ryder, the Salvation Army and Marie Curie, many care homes and various charitable organisations.
Once the need for PPE had reduced, the charity looked to donate testing equipment for UK hospitals. This included the donation to Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
