Hospital staff housing to aid recruitment

Saturday 13 July 2019

The Guernsey Housing Association has built 22 new flats and houses near the hospital, which are now being offered to key health workers in the island.

Working in partnership with Health and Social Care and Employment and Social Security, the GHA managed the £5m project at Beauville, Ville au Roi.

The association will own and maintain the properties, renting them out to workers employed by HSC.

"I'm really blown away by how fabulous it is," said Vice President of HSC Deputy Rhian Tooley. "The accommodation looks lovely and I think they're going to be a real boom to us attracting key workers to come and work in Guernsey.

Pictured: All the one and two-bedroom homes are fully furnished ready for staff to use.

"Nursing staff are desperately sought across the world at the moment. There is a real shortage of high-quality nursing staff and they are in many ways our most critical staff at the hospital because without them so much else cannot happen.

"It is absolutely critical that we are a realistic offer for people. That when they are looking between two or three job offers potentially, what they see as part of the Guernsey offer is a place that values their input to the extent that we are willing to provide the things they need to live their lives as families here."

The land was previously occupied by old HSC buildings, the former Priaulx Garage and a shop which had been closed for many years.

Pictured: Each of the houses has a small outside area with a shed.

"The States owned some of the land and we gave that to the GHA," explained ESS Vice President Shane Langlois. "Then from what used to be the Corporate Housing Programme fund, which was handed over to the capital reserve in about 2015, another sum of money was given as a grant to the GHA to enable them to purchase the site. They put up a bit of money themselves.

"There will be another phase, which will be what used to be the Island Shopper and that is another eight flats. It will be quite a nice little group of units. Everybody likes a short commute to work and you couldn't be closer to the PEH. It's ideal."

Pictured: Deputies Rhian Tooley and Shane Langlois presented one of the first occupants, key worker Jenny Dumba, with celebratory flowers.

The GHA paid for construction on the site with a loan from the States, which will be paid back over the coming years through the rent it receives.

HSC has furnished the housing with carpets, light fittings, black-out blinds for night-shift staff and white appliances.

"The demolition started just over 12 months ago and what a difference it is," added GHA Chief Executive Steve Williams. "We've got a mixture of flats, two-bed houses and three-bed houses so there's a real mixture of property, hence we're able to house single people, couples and families. HSC has really not had much in the way of family accommodation in the past, so we are really pleased.

Pictured: Each home has been fitted with appliances.

"The proof will be in the pudding in terms of the future, but one can only imagine it's going to be a popular place to live."

Residents have been approved for the site and some have already started moving in to their new homes.

"I hope we can work in partnership with the GHA to develop more housing of this type," said Deputy Tooley.