Bet365 boss donates £10m to NHS
The chief executive of Bet365 has donated £10m to an NHS trust to support staff fighting coronavirus.
Billionaire businesswoman Denise Coates donated to University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) – the trust which covers Stoke-on-Trent, her home town.
UHNM will use the funds to deliver a number of schemes aimed at enhancing patient care and supporting staff.
The initiatives will be rolled out at the UHNM’s Royal Stoke Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford.
“As a result of Covid-19 we have rapidly established new ways of working but in some circumstances are lacking the technology to do this in the most effective way,” UHNM chief executive Tracy Bullock said.
“This investment will help fund schemes and provide latest technology to improve communications between clinicians; between clinicians and patients and between patients and their families.”
Coates said: “We have all seen and heard the events unfold in the media as day after day the number of those infected increases and the number of those who tragically lose their lives also rises.
“There are many stories of people suffering without the comfort of close friends and family as restrictions on people’s movement prevent loved ones visiting.
“This is why I and the other trustees felt we had to step forward and approach the UHNM to see what we could do to help. We are sure that the funding the Foundation provides will make a huge difference to the Hospital, the staff and more broadly the people of North Staffordshire and the surrounding area.”
Last month, the online gambling giant promised its staff there will be no job losses over coming months after unveiling a multimillion-pound pledge to workers.
Bet365 employs 4,389 staff who have all been guaranteed their jobs will be safe until at least the end of August.
