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Hospital staff move into new Oxford accommodation

Chris McHugh & Martin Eastaugh
BBC News
OUH Three women stand alongside each other to cut a ribbon unveiling the new housing. In the centre is a nurse called Dorcas, who is smiling and cutting the light blue ribbon with a pair of scissors. She is wearing blue nurses scrubs. The women either side of her are smiling and one is holding the ribbon.OUH
New tenant and surgical ward nurse Dorcas (centre) helped to officially open the Ivy Lane accommodation at the John Radcliffe Hospital

Nurses and other NHS staff have moved into newly-built accommodation, more than five years after the project was announced.

The 90 new homes on Ivy Lane in Headington, Oxford, were officially opened by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) on Wednesday as part of efforts to provide affordable accommodation for key workers.

The development replaces previous staff accommodation at the site which housed 74 people and was described as "dated" by OUH in 2019.

One of the new tenants described it as "definitely an upgrade" on the former accommodation.

Two blocks of flats sit either side of a pedestrianised road. The flats are brown in colour and a row of cars are parked to one side.
The first phase of the development at Ivy Lane has 90 homes, which is set to rise to 125 when it is completed in 2026

The 90 new homes consist of 12 self-contained one-bed apartments, 11 studios, 23 two-bed self-contained family apartments, as well as 16 four-bed and 25 five-bedroom shared apartments.

There are also three homes specially designed for disabled tenants.

New tenant Dorcas, a surgical ward nurse at the Churchill Hospital, said she would be able to afford to live in Oxford, had the new accommodation not been available to her.

"The accommodation [in Oxford] is very expensive... a 2-bed apartment [would cost] around £1,500 or £1,600 per month, excluding bills.

"If we can have more of this, people will come over and they will stay," she added.

'Definitely an upgrade'

Dorcas's accommodation is a two-bed apartment, which costs from £1,237 per month including utilities, according to housing provider A2Dominion.

She added: "I was previously in the old Ivy Lane flats and recently moved in here along with rest of the tenants. The new flats are definitely an upgrade – I really love it."

Prof Sir Jonathan Montgomery, chair of OUH, said: "We know that many staff face challenges in finding high-quality, affordable accommodation near the hospital.

"We are therefore delighted to be able to provide affordable homes for our new staff. Helping them settle into the area is crucial."

The developments are being run by housing provider A2Dominion which has worked alongside the Oxford Hospitals Charity on the project.

The second and final phase of the development is due to be completed in 2026, with a total of 340 hospital staff being housed in seven apartment buildings.

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