Housing associations in the capital are being courted by the National Health Service's new housing 'czar' in a bid to find more affordable housing for nurses.
The move is part of a new government target to find 2,000 extra accommodation places in the London region by the end of next year.

As Housing Today revealed, NHS housing co-ordinator John Yates has been appointed to help stem the tide of nurses leaving the capital because of high rents and house prices (Housing Today, 17 February).

As well as securing new provision with London-based social landlords, it is understood he is considering ways of bringing subsidy funding in for student nurses accommodation.

Last week key figures from nursing and midwifery met at a Department of Health seminar to discuss the issue, which forms part of the government's NHS Plan.

Health minister Lord Hunt said: "London and the south east have one of the highest vacancy rates in the country and this is in part due to expensive property prices which are driving nurses out of London and out of the profession."

A string of deals have been negotiated with Peabody Unite, a joint venture operation between the social landlord and established specialist provider of student and key worker accommodation, UNITE Group.

Peabody Unite redeveloped a former university hall of residence in Lewisham into 125 units for nursing staff, and is developing two schemes worth £33.3m for more than 500 bed spaces for Barts and The London NHS Trust workers in Whitechapel and Forest Gate.

One involves the refurbishment of a redundant office block, Donald Hunter House, into 74 self-contained two to five bedroom flats for 257 workers.

The other is a flagship new-build development in Nicholas Road on a brownfield site employing Peabody's acclaimed modular build techniques used in Murray Grove.

Including cleaning, maintenance and utility bills room rents for the new accommodation are around 20-30 per cent lower than comparable private sector properties.

Peabody Unite is also finalising a deal for 225 places in central London for staff from up to five NHS Trusts. This is likely to include a "staff hotel" allowing those working shifts to stay overnight.

A pan-London accommodation bureau offering information to staff and matching them to their needs will be launched on September 1.

Source

Housing Today