A MYSTERY donor has gifted £500,000 to a Scots health charity to help NHS patients and staff during the Covid-19 crisis.
The sum was paid to the Fife Health Board Endowment Fund to support the NHS response to coronavirus.
The local benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has asked the funds be used immediately in providing additional support for patients and the healthcare staff caring for them.
The Endowment Fund’s board of trustees said work is now under way to decide how the donation can be used in the immediate response to the virus, as well as a longer-term benefit. Announcements will be made in the coming weeks on how the funds will be used.
Rt Hon Tricia Marwick, the chair of the Endowment Fund’s board of trustees and chair of Fife Health Board, said: “This is a breathtaking act of generosity and will make such a difference to patients in Fife, and the healthcare staff working tirelessly to care for them.
“From the outset of this pandemic we have sought to support patients and staff in any way that we can. This donation will enable us to expand this support much further at a time when it is needed most.
“The generosity of local people, whether from individuals or local businesses, has been overwhelming. We are blown away by the support we have received, and continue to receive. This support has been very much appreciated by our healthcare staff and provided great comfort as they go about providing the best care they can for local people here in Fife.”
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The Fife Health Board Endowment Fund is a registered charity that funds a range of initiatives which benefit the patients, carers and staff of NHS Fife. The charity is funded entirely through donations and supports programmes aimed at health improvement and disease prevention.
It is separate to the Fife Health Board and its monies cannot be used to provide core health services. In the last five years, the Fife Health Board Endowment Fund has allocated more than £4 million towards its charitable objectives.
Those wishing to donate can specify exactly how they wish their donation to be used, such as for research purposes, to purchase a specific piece of equipment or to benefit a particular ward or department.
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